From small single-person operations to global multi-national corporations, IT security is the cornerstone on which the rest of a business can be built. It can be much easier said than done, however, to develop and manage a sufficiently secure and responsive IT system. Small businesses generally struggle the most with IT security. Even if a single-person operation has the necessary IT knowledge, it can be impossible to find the time to implement important updates, changes, and fixes while also juggling business growth. For any start-up or small business looking to maximise their IT security, these top tips should be followed closely. Get a vulnerability assessment It’s impossible to improve your IT system’s overall security if you’re not familiar with the specific points in your network that are potentially at risk. This assessment is something you can do yourself if you have the understanding. But, for most business owners it’s a much wiser investment to outsource the assessment to a specialist. If your IT system has been professionally built there should be minimal weak points – no system is without flaw, however! Understanding the specific areas in your own network that could be liable to attack is essential. If your business Read More

Cloud computing has been transforming the way business is conducted for the past several years. Thanks to advances in cloud architecture, you can access IT resources faster, easier and at a reduced cost. For businesses, the cloud offers unparalleled opportunities to use IT to compete effectively. The cloud has numerous benefits to provide, one of which is increased cybersecurity. Here we are going to look at the security benefits of moving to the cloud. 1. Cloud solutions allow you to streamline IAM When it comes to cybersecurity threats that affect businesses, authentication and authorisation threats are high on the list. Identity and access systems are one of the main channels that facilitate data breaches. The cloud can provide every member of your staff with just one log in credential using its global linked coverage. This means that you will be able to streamline identity and access management (IAM). One access, one person, one credential. Cloud solutions can facilitate a single sign-in process, and every employee can access the resources they need when they require them across their cloud applications. An added benefit of this paradigm is that they will leave a complete audit trail. This is important as the trail Read More

Business continuity is one of the most important things a business should focus on. What is it? In a nutshell, your ability to continue supplying your goods and services to customers in the event of an unexpected event. Unscheduled downtime is a serious concern because it not only causes you monetary loss but also considerably harms your reputation amongst customers. Key understanding of how to achieve business continuity is an investment all businesses should be making – particularly SMEs. What damages business continuity? There are a litany of things that can cause your business to become inoperable for a period of time. Some may only cause ten minutes of disruption. Others can see businesses ground to a halt for a solid week. Depending on the nature of the disruption, and its severity, it can become a very costly situation. Take for example a geological event that causes damage to your building or your power. A freak lightning storm fries your junction boxes. Or you’re the subject of a malicious attack and all of the machines in your network become infected, rendering them inoperable. Anything that prevents you readily accessing your daily essential data and serving your customers is going to Read More

Many businesses are adopting network virtualisation and reaping significant benefits. Virtualisation facilitates the management of application workloads independent of host hardware. As a business owner, virtualisation can be a vital stage in realising an agile network infrastructure. It can also be the stepping-stone to establishing a fully automated software-defined data centre. You may be wondering what the significant considerations are when making the transition. Below are a few tips that will ensure a successful virtualisation process. 1. Determine your dependencies The first step to embracing virtualisation is understanding why you need it for your business. A major part of this understanding is knowing what you need to do before you are ready for server virtualisation. A virtualised network is dependent on a physical network and an already-existing virtualisation protocol. For your migration to slot in easily, you have to account for a number of aspects. These aspects include physical network review, application design, software rationalisation, and individual component testing. It is good practice to plan for the virtualisation process in your project timelines. 2. Engage all the stakeholders from the beginning Before you embark on the virtualisation journey, you must engage all parties in your business with a stake in Read More