CAER Technologies - CAER Blog #VPN

Finding the Right IT Provider: Avoid These 8 Mistakes

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 15:25:00 +0000

Your business can benefit a lot from working with an IT provider. However, you need to avoid several key mistakes when choosing your team.

Time spent on trying to figure out the technology you use in your business can be costly. While doing that, you can’t focus on your business needs, which can then result in poor customer satisfaction.

This is where IT providers come into play.

They enable you to outsource hardware and computing-related services, such as managed IT security and cloud computing. IT providers can also provide a robust IT infrastructure so that you can direct your attention to revenue-generating activities.

While there are numerous IT providers to choose from, not all of them may accommodate your business’s specific needs. And integrating with the wrong team can raise your spending due to irrelevant services, recurring security issues, data backup problems, and downtime.

Therefore, you need to be extra careful when selecting your team. The only way to avoid disappointment is to avoid these eight common mistakes when looking for the right IT provider.

THE 8 MISTAKES

MISTAKE 1 - INSISTING ON THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY

Many advertisers want to trick you into believing that the latest technology will resolve all your issues. While the newest virtualization or cloud offerings can boost operations in many enterprises, they might not suit your business.

Hence, don’t let the hype surrounding new products dazzle you.

Carefully consider the results your IT provider will help you achieve and determine if the investment enables you to fulfill them. Your provider shouldn’t confuse you with state-of-the-art features – they should guide you and allow for seamless integration.

MISTAKE 2 - FAILURE TO CONSIDER THE RESPONSE TIMES

Determining the response times of your prospective IT providers is essential. You need to ask them how long they usually take to reply to queries and resolve problems. Be sure to gauge their onsite support efficiency, too.

Not inquiring about their availability is another grave error. Your IT team should provide round-the-clock services, including specialists that will monitor your system.

Constant monitoring and availability can help ensure you can detect IT issues early. With this, the provider can immediately administer patches and updates to safeguard against disasters.

Furthermore, your IT provider should offer simple access to their desk support. You should be able to contact them via email, phone, and chat for instant guidance.

MISTAKE 3 - NEGLECTING THE SECURITY ASPECT

Disregarding the security features of your IT provider might be the most severe mistake. Teams with improper defense mechanisms can’t shield your system from cyber attackers, increasing the risk of losing data and access to resources.

To avoid this, look for IT providers that can protect you from malware and other threats. They also need to prioritize protecting your business’s confidential data, like trade secrets and customer information.

When it comes to specific security measures, your IT provider should have features that prevent data intrusions instantly upon detection. The list includes phishing attacks simulations, web content filtering, DNS security, endpoint protection, mobile device management, and dark web protection.

In addition, responsible teams should eliminate point-of-sale and network intrusions before they compromise your system. Making sure they abide by security compliance and government regulations is also paramount.

MISTAKE 4 - FORGETTING THE BUDGET

Many IT companies operate under pay-as-you-go pricing schemes. Although this helps you minimize upfront investment, adopting a large number of technologies simultaneously without considering the recurring costs can cripple your finances.

Thus, think twice before signing on the dotted line.

Research your providers thoroughly and draft your budget with professional assistance. These steps can prevent considerable frustration down the line.

MISTAKE 5 - NOT DETERMINING SCALABILITY

One of the biggest impediments to growing your company is choosing an IT provider with poor scalability.

By contrast, scalable IT teams allow your business to evolve and grow. They can continually extend their services to accommodate your company’s goals, even if these goals change.

MISTAKE 6 - OPTING FOR A NON-RESPONSIVE SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

Service level agreements (SLAs) hold IT providers accountable for their services. It establishes standards for responsibilities, quality, scope, and delivery time in writing. Without it, you’ll have no way of ensuring transparent collaboration.

When selecting your IT provider, find one with a responsive agreement. It can help guarantee the SLA scales with their services while rendering continual improvement.

MISTAKE 7 - LACK OF TEAM TRAINING AND FEEDBACK

The story doesn’t end once you’ve found and partnered with a trustworthy IT provider. New technologies won’t magically increase your bottom line and decrease outputs.

To accomplish your goal, your employees will still need to understand how to use your new tech solutions. But bear in mind that not every team member may be able to grasp new tools easily. Some may even prefer the existing platforms.

Fortunately, you can hire IT experts to train them. These professionals should simplify any complex steps and advise your staff on making the most of your new investment.

Also, some enterprises set up regular training but fail to monitor their team’s performance. This is a huge mistake, as it keeps you from assessing your employee’s response to new technologies.

So, conduct questionnaires and other forms of feedback collection to determine and address any weaknesses.

MISTAKE 8 - IGNORING EXPERIENCES WITH PREVIOUS CLIENTS

Choosing an IT provider is similar to buying standard products and services. Failure to check user reviews can lead to disappointment.

To get a clear picture of your IT team’s capabilities, analyze their current and previous clients from similar industries. Look for reviews, testimonials, and ask the provider for a list of projects and references.

After doing your due diligence, you should be able to tell whether an IT provider is an ideal match for your company.

However, keep in mind that every IT team is different. For instance, they might be well-versed in the healthcare industry but have no experience working with retailers. That’s why as mentioned, stick to IT providers servicing your industry to get the best results.

FIND THE RIGHT FIT

Nobody wants to end up with a poor IT provider that can’t deliver great results, leaves your company open to cyberattacks, and causes other vulnerabilities. Your investment goes down the drain, and your operations suffer.

Luckily, we can discuss more ways on how to find the right IT provider for you, and CAER Technologies can show you what exemplary managed IT services should look like.

Article used with permission from The Technology Press

How to Choose Your VPN to Boost Protection Against Cyberattacks

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:19:00 +0000

Public networks expose your business to security threats. Switching to a VPN can greatly help in reducing those threats.

Many companies rely on public networks for communication and data sharing. It allows them to cut costs and allocate their funds elsewhere.

However, it also raises several security issues.

For starters, the network provider might be monitoring the activity, which gives them access to customer details, emails, and critical files. As a result, sensitive information can end up in the wrong hands, compromising the organization’s reputation.

Another potential consequence is losing access to bank accounts, credit cards, and invaluable resources. These issues can lead to huge losses for any business.

Your business might be facing the same risk whenever a team member connects to a public network.

To eliminate it, you need to switch to a virtual private network (VPN) or secure global network (SGN). Both offer online anonymity and privacy, enabling you to conduct your operations away from prying eyes.

Still, you can’t go for just any VPN or SGN; here are some factors to consider when choosing the right one:

THE 10 FACTORS

FACTOR #1 - LOCATION

The location of your VPN or SGN servers is essential for a few reasons.

For example, the greater the distance between your server and your business, the higher the chances of facing latency issues. That’s why to ensure a seamless surfing experience, stick to the nearest server available.

Furthermore, you can also consider a VPN or SGN from the same place as the content your team needs to access to overcome geographic restrictions. If your work requires research from the UK, for example, find servers from that country.

FACTOR #2 - PRICE

Using free VPNs or SGNs might be tempting, but they deliver a lackluster experience. To start with, they can log you out of internet activities and are often chock-full of disruptive ads.

You’re much better off investing in a paid platform. They come with various robust features, a larger number of servers, and configurations to bolster your security.

FACTOR #3 - DEVICE COMPATIBILITY

Another detail you should consider is the compatibility of your VPN or SGN.

In most cases, you need software that can work with several devices, such as your smartphone, laptop, and tablet. Otherwise, cross-platform work will suffer.

FACTOR #4 - CAPACITY

Before choosing your VPN or SGN, make sure to determine the amount of data you can use. That means if your operations warrant tons of online resources, you should pick a solution that supports considerable data allocation.

Moreover, check the number of online servers. The higher the number, the more efficiently your platform can support resource-intensive tasks.

FACTOR #5 - PROTOCAL SUPPORT

Protocols are rules that stipulate connections between the client (software on your device) and the server.

There are different protocols, but the most widely used ones include PPTP, OpenVPN, IPSec, SSL, SSH, and SSTP. Each offers varying speeds and levels of security, both of which are vital to your company.

For instance, OpenVPN is an open-source protocol and one of the safest options for enterprises. It runs on 256-bit encryption keys and advanced ciphers, offering robust protection against cyberattacks. Plus, it features excellent firewall compatibility.

FACTOR #6 - DATA LOGGING POLICIES

VPNs and SGNs log user data to streamline customer support and limit available connections. However, you need to consider what information they’re logging.

In most cases, this includes session times and IP addresses. But some providers can also log your software, downloaded files, and web pages you visit.

When looking for a suitable VPN or SGN, be sure to read the data logging policy to determine the information the app will store. You should also verify that the company is transparent; if someone tries to deceive you, turn down their offer.

FACTOR #7 - AVAILABILITY OF A KILL SWITCH

No cybersecurity measure is fail proof – VPNs and SGNs are no exception. Overloaded platforms can trigger IP leaks, interrupting your private connection and exposing your true address when online.

To avoid this scenario, look for platforms with a built-in kill switch. It disrupts your devices’ access to the internet in case of IP leaks. The kill switch stops transfers of unencrypted information and can help prevent cybercriminals from obtaining your data.

FACTOR #8 - UPDATES

Your VPN or SGN provider needs to roll out regular updates to ensure you can perform your operations safely and efficiently.

If they don’t openly specify the update frequency on their webpage, find out when the last update was on your app store. It should give you a clue on how frequently the updates get sent out.

FACTOR #9 - CENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT

Centralized management enables you to control VPN or SGN distribution more easily, allowing you to manage access permissions and user accounts. Some of the best apps even feature gateway or role-based access management. It permits users to access only those segments of the network they need to perform their jobs.

Another important consideration here is control from your console. IT administrators should have permission to open and delete accounts as well as check the devices linked to the platform.

Lastly, your organization might benefit from VPNs or SGNs with IP whitelisting. They allow administrators to approve the IP addresses of your enterprise to ensure only members with a verified IP can use corporate resources. This feature provides granular control over network accessibility.

FACTOR #10 - CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Customer support might be the most significant factor. Your provider should be easy to contact through different portals, such as telephone, live chat, and email.

Easy accessibility lets you inform the VPN or SGN developer about various issues. For instance, they can help restore your network if it goes down and prevents unwanted exposure.

Most client support teams are highly accessible, but make sure to verify this by reading customer reviews.

SAFEGUARD AGAINST CYBERATTACKS WITH A BULLETPROOF VPN

The digital world is rife with challenges, especially if your business uses public networks. Loss of data can happen at any time, which can give your competitors the upper hand and tarnish your reputation.

That’s why switching to a VPN or SGN is one of the wisest investments you can make.

To make the most of your service, find an app with dependable security features, customer support, and suitable configurations for your operations.

You’ll also want to patch up any other cybersecurity vulnerabilities. We can help you make that happen.

If you'd like a quick chat to discuss your cybersecurity and find out where you might have any potential risks, contact a CAER expert today.

Article used with permission from The Technology Press