Nex-Tech Blog | Technology Tips and Tricks | Industry News

There’s a Windows 7 countdown clock here incessantly ticking toward January 14, 2020. And that’s when PCs running Windows 7, Server 2008 and 2008 R2, and Exchange 2010 no longer get Microsoft system updates, patches or support.

For most of us, these words still seem to sound like a Tom Clancy novel, but the cybercrime landscape is rapidly making them a reality, with more examples from our direct environment added to the storybook every week. 

Not all Managed Services Providers (MSP) are created equally – sure, they may all provide IT services for a monthly fee, but beyond that, there are vast differences. Today we want to look at some of the myths surrounding what “good managed IT services” look like, debunk them and give you some ideas of what to really look for in a great MSP. The industry is moving fast and what may have been best practice or top-of-the-line 5 years ago could be ineffective by now.

Everyone would probably agree at this point that you should have backup. For your personal data and even more so for your business. Still, the backup landscape seems to be a bit like the wild west with a multitude of options out there and cloud file sharing that seems to blur the lines between file storage and true backup. In addition, backup has shifted from a solution to protect from hardware failures or fires to your very last line of defense when it comes to cybercrime. With all these things in mind, let’s take a look at what to consider when choosing a backup solution for your business:

I have written many times about Managed IT Services (check out 3 Ways to Know if Managed Services is Right for You) and why it is a good move for many businesses to “tame the IT monster”, regardless of their size and staffing. But, recently the conversation has morphed into an argument for managed IT as an effective cybersecurity strategy.

by Olga Detrixhe and Kathy Marihugh

Here at Nex-Tech we work with many different manufacturers, vendors and distributors to deliver the most cutting-edge and relevant technology to you. We pride ourselves on the fact that we have a history of long-standing and deep relationships with our vendors, and that they are much more than vendors – they are truly partners. That means we work together beyond ordering and delivering; we have a stake in each other’s success and collaborate to achieve the best outcomes. Through that, we get the honor to be invited as members to serve on advisory boards to help shape the solutions that are most relevant for you, our customers.

I recently had a prime opportunity to accompany Steve Riat, our Director of Sales, and Justin Dempsey, our IT Manager to a Heartland Technology Group meeting. For anyone in the IT space, that might ring a bell (“Oh cool”), but for most of you, that probably doesn’t mean anything.

Here's my update on cybersecurity, how it's affected businesses in 2018, and what you can do about it.

If there’s anything for certain in IT, it’s that things are uncertain. Computers crash, software doesn’t work as it should, and small problems can easily derail your day to zero productivity. When that happens, the way that you respond can be the difference between a minor hiccup and a full- blown business interruption. What if you could catch and address those issues before they become a big deal? Wouldn’t it be great if that happened automatically, without you even having to get involved? This might sound too good to be true, but that is actually exactly what a Remote Monitoring and Management tool can do for you!

You hear it everywhere… Ransomware, hacker attacks, data breaches… Cybersecurity is such a hot topic that we frequently hear new stories, one scarier than the other. Amidst all that, it’s usually the big players that get the media coverage; big national chains like Yahoo, Target, or LinkedIn. So, the fact that the majority of attacks actually target small and medium businesses in small town communities often gets lost. In addition, there is so much out there that it is just overwhelming. We’ve gotten so desensitized to the news that we usually just brush it off: “I know it’s out there, but I don’t know what to do about it and it’s probably way to expensive, so I’ll just keep doing what I have been and pray it won’t hit me”. Unfortunately, that attitude can cost you everything you have worked for! So, instead of rattling off more stats to show you the mathematical likelihood of your business being a victim of cybercrime, I will simply ask you to consider and come up with a reply to three questions. This will help you determine how big of a risk cybercrime is for your business and what priority you should give it: