Terminal B, Author at Terminal B, LLC

9 Reasons to Invest in Co-Managed IT Services

September 13, 2023
Terminal B
IT Managed Services

IT’s importance has been growing rapidly over the last decades, and it’s one of the most important factors for corporate achievement in 2023. In fact, 71% of CFOs think that the success of their company depends on their ability to transform digitally.

Co-managed IT services are the ideal way to stay flexible and competitive in any industry. Read on to learn some benefits of these IT services and why you should take the leap.

1. Custom Integration Means Flexibility

Co-managed IT services mean that your business operates its IT infrastructure alongside a third-party provider. You retain control over some things while relinquishing other functions to the professional IT co-manager.

This partnership is extremely nuanced and coordinated because it’s not one-size-fits-all. Different businesses have wildly different needs, especially those in various industries.

Those in mid-market health care may need access to patient records on in-house servers for HIPAA compliance and security reasons. However, they may be able to store employee-related records and financial documents on a third-party server to save storage space and money.

Commercial construction firms, on the other hand, may be able to keep client records on an external server. Fleet management applications and software may be the internal storage part of their IT system.

Co-managed IT is great because the models let people pick and choose which resources and data they want to get external help with. You’ll also get to select which processes, workflows, and sensitive information should exclusively stay in-house. It’s flexible, so a co-managed model will bend to your specific needs.

2. Save Money on In-House Services

In-house IT has many disadvantages, but the main one is that it’s extremely costly. Hiring an IT management professional means paying for their full-time salary and benefits. It also means shelling out for training and onboarding costs and needing to find new IT help if they quit.

Co-managed IT solutions solve this problem. Even if you hire someone in-house, you won’t need to pay them a full-time salary because they’ll have fewer responsibilities. If they quit, you won’t be left in the dust until you find a new in-house expert.

You also won’t need to pay for internal servers that store data and launch applications that could be managed externally. This means paying for less hardware and freeing up server space for things that must be stored in-house.

You’ll also save space. When you store all of your information in your company facility, you’ll need to store the hardware on the premises.

This can make it hard to get around. It could also force you to pay for more storage space or even a larger office.

Co-managed IT gives you the freedom to pick and choose what you store in-house. It also means that you won’t need to hire unnecessary employees.

3. Retain Control Over Your Operations

Many people prefer managed IT because it’s less expensive than in-house management. It also saves space.

However, fully outsourcing your IT infrastructure means that you might feel powerless over your information. A third party stores it and manages it, and while no reputable company will abuse that power, it still bothers some people. The managed IT company also provides security features and updates, which makes many business leaders feel out of control.

Co-managed IT means reaping the benefits of managed IT services. However, it also means that you get to retain control over the information and applications that matter most.

Rather than being the end-all-be-all of your IT, co-managed operations serve as an escalation point for any in-house IT experts that you hold dear. Plus, since it’s easier for a third party to co-manage rather than fully manage an IT infrastructure, you save even more money.

4. Simple Budgeting for Business Technology

In addition to saving money, co-managed IT can make it easier for you to create a budget. You won’t need to set aside money to hire a completely new staff. You also won’t need to allocate funds to buy entirely new equipment, which means less time spent trying to get everything to fit into your already-limited budget.

It’s easier to budget for co-managed IT than doing everything in-house. You only need to pay a predetermined monthly fee for some resources rather than paying for applications that do each specific thing. A third party already has software for routine functions like system maintenance and ticketing, so you won’t need to budget for several different technologies to perform these menial but important tasks.

5. You’ll Boost Productivity

Co-managed IT solutions can greatly boost productivity in any workplace. These services tend to cover routine activities like maintenance and upgrades.

Constant software updates mean that it’s less likely for your pages to load slowly and lag on either the company or consumer end. They also make downtime less likely so that employees can be productive all day, every day.

You’ll also get constant network monitoring that notifies you or experts of blips or changes that might mean downtime. This lets you see any potential problems immediately and troubleshoot them before they cause major issues for your network operations.

Beyond that, you’ll have extra support from the co-managing experts during peak demand periods. When your products are selling quickly and your in-house IT team is adapting to new demand and customer needs, you won’t be forced to stop working when minor tech-related emergencies arise.

Finally, a lack of simple technology issues boosts employee morale. They’ll be more satisfied without the frustration of software and network issues, and happy employees are 31% more productive. They’re also likely to make 37% more sales, so you’ll get more money and make more customers happy.

6. It’s Easier to Expand

A co-managed IT model makes it easier for businesses in several industries to expand.

For example, consider a small pharma firm with 25 people. If this firm plans to grow to employ about 200 people, an in-house IT model means that they’ll constantly need to purchase new hard drives and upgrade applications. This is costly and challenging, and it requires a lot of individual budgeting and research.

The problem is even greater if the firm wants to expand to new service areas or offer new types of pharmaceuticals. These transitions require more data, legal documents, and records. Bigger network bandwidth and more storage space are necessary.

Renting or buying a new office or operational headquarters may also be an eventual necessity to hold all employees. This means taking a lot of hardware to a new place.

Co-managed IT lets you store everything on external servers while you make the move. You can grow without buying more hardware and keep data secure while migrating to new areas. Professionals will provide support for your growing IT needs during an otherwise chaotic transitional period.

7. Lower Risk of Breaches

IBM estimates that the average cost of a data breach is around $4.45 million. Since this is 15% higher than it was 3 years ago, top-notch cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important for businesses. This is especially true as the amount of digital data we store on business servers goes up as technology use increases.

Co-managed IT models can help keep you secure. You’ll gain access to top-of-the-line, expert-level security software with professional assistance. Experts know how to integrate them with your in-house infrastructure so that you don’t need to worry about a data breach.

For example, you’ll gain access to the most updated and high-grade firewalls and MFA features on the market. End-to-end encryption is also available. Plus, professional system monitoring can help alert you to potential threats so that you can proactively combat security risks.

8. Backup and Recovery

Since your information won’t just be stored on an internal server, you also will have an easier time recovering any lost data. In the unlikely event of a breach or severe system error, you’ll have a readily available backup at your professional co-manager’s facility.

Better yet, co-management models mean constant automated backups. You’ll retain and save all necessary information automatically. This means you don’t need to worry about manual backups.

9. Constant Support Reduces Problems

Working hand-in-hand with a co-management team means round-the-clock support. Your IT partners will add value to your business by constantly answering questions and immediately troubleshooting problems that you point out. This means better cybersecurity and immediate solutions for important support tickets.

You also can ask them any questions you have about your IT infrastructure. This will give you a greater understanding of your technology and let you make more effective business plans.

Invest in Co-Managed IT Services Today

Co-managed IT services combine the best of in-house IT operations with the benefits of third-party management. Now that you know the advantages of these business solutions, it’s time to become more productive and secure with top-notch co-management partners.

Terminal B’s team is committed to helping you create an IT management plan so that you can store and access all the information you need in both the short and long term. We’ll talk about building a custom plan that gives you all the support you need while still keeping you in control when it matters.

Get in touch with our Texas IT team to learn how we can bolster your small-to-medium business ASAP.

10 Small Business IT Solutions to Improve Your Business

August 14, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

It’s safe to say that digital tools are more crucial than ever for small business owners. According to one survey, 93% of small business owners report using at least one technology platform to help run their organization, with the average owner using three different tools.

Of course, as you manage your growing brand, it can be hard to decide which small business IT solutions are worth your time. Which tools are worth the trouble? Which can you skip?

To help you make the decision, we’ve put together a list of the most helpful apps, tools, and platforms for small business owners in 2023. Read on for more.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

No matter what kind of business you run, customer management can be crucial. Organizing and analyzing interactions with your clients can help you streamline your processes. It can also help you understand which tactics are working and which ones aren’t.

CRM software can help with this. These IT solutions help small businesses keep track of, manage, and assess their relationships with customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey. It can even save you time by automating key tasks.

Even better, CRM can keep all of your sales data in one place. This makes it easy for teams throughout your organization to access this information as needed. The robust nature of CRMs may make it sound like they’re geared toward large corporations, but most are designed with smaller teams in mind.

Small business CRM tools are often cloud-based. This makes them easy to access and run, and they’re intuitive enough to create a quick learning curve for most employees.

2. Project Management Tools

Having multiple people involved in different projects can be tough, especially with larger teams. If your company has hybrid teams or remote workers, coordinating projects can get even trickier.

If your organization is always trying to juggle deliverables and deadlines, try a project management platform. In the same way that CRM tools help you keep track of your customers’ data, these small business IT solutions help you keep track of your current projects. This makes it easy to see a project’s current status and follow up as needed.

Project management platforms can help you schedule tasks, assign and keep track of who has which tasks, and notify team members about upcoming actions and events. Most major project management tools, such as Trello and Asana, also have messaging functions. This makes it easy to keep track of ongoing conversations about your projects.

3. Inventory Management Tools

Does your team have to manage physical products? If so, inventory tracking can become a major headache, especially as you begin to scale your business. Organizing your products, ordering without overstocking, and making the most of your limited space is often difficult for new business owners.

The right inventory management tools can make these hassles a breeze. They give you more visibility into your current stock, helping you order and store the right amount of items to keep up with your current demand. They can even help you automate certain tasks, like ordering more items when you’re running low.

4. Accounting Software

Hiring an accountant or bookkeeper can be expensive for small brands. Some choose not to do it at all, with leaders trying to tackle essential financial duties on their own. However, unless you have experience with bookkeeping, doing your own accounting can be a huge time drain.

Online accounting software is a simple IT solution all small brands should consider. These tools can help with all of your company’s basic financial needs, from generating invoices to tracking revenue. These tools also make it easier to fill out your tax forms.

Accounting software can save you time by automating your workflows. Repetitive tasks like generating expense reports happen with a click. Even better, these tools can give you more confidence in the accuracy and security of your business’s financial data.

5. Email Marketing Tools

Email marketing is crucial for any small business. Not only is this strategy an easy way to keep in touch with your customers, but it also has a great ROI. On average, you’ll earn back a whopping $36 on every $1 you spend on email marketing.

Of course, this ROI doesn’t make it any easier to stay on top of the emails you send to each customer. That’s where email marketing tools come in.

Platforms like MailChimp help small businesses craft and send beautiful, personalized emails to customers. Their automation tools also help with scheduling, allowing you to send reminders about items in a customer’s cart or personalized discounts without extra thought. They’re also a great way of organizing ongoing email campaigns.

6. Workplace Communication Software

No matter the size of your brand, communication software will always be one of the most important IT services to consider. The right digital tools can help your team stay in touch, share files, video conference, and much more.

Many small businesses start with common instant messaging tools like Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger. These tools are great for simple communication.

Additional tools like Microsoft Teams or Google Workspace can also be a great upgrade for small businesses. Many small businesses appreciate the added structure of these platforms, which allow you to add comments and to-dos, discuss files within the platform, and send far fewer emails.

7. HR Software

If you lead a startup or a very small business, HR software might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you consider the tools you need. However, HR duties can whittle away your valuable time, even if you have just a few team members!

Various HR tools can help you tackle repetitive tasks like payroll and shift scheduling. This small business IT service also offers attendance tracking and can help you manage your team’s days off, which can make it far easier to coordinate your workflow.

As you grow, HR software can help you hire the right talent. Often, you can create and share job postings within the software itself, and many HR tools also streamline onboarding and training. Even better, some of these tools are free or free in part for businesses with fewer than five to ten employees, making it a great tool for small but growing brands.

8. Password Management Tools

If you and your team often share passwords, you won’t want to skip these tools. Password management software makes password sharing simple and secure, syncing your credentials between multiple devices.

These tools make it less likely that your employees will create weak passwords, which create security vulnerabilities. They also make it less likely that your team will write all of their passwords down on paper!

Most major password management tools, like LastPass and Dashlane, offer a number of free features. However, sharing passwords between multiple team members will often require a subscription.

9. Data Backup Tools

It’s easier to lose, damage, or corrupt your data than you might think. Human error, computer crashes, disasters, and bad actors are all threats to your brand’s data.

When that data is invaluable to your business’s operations, it’s crucial to have protections in place. In the worst-case scenario, lost or inaccessible files can even damage your reputation.

Data backup and recovery tools are crucial IT services for brands of any size, but small brands tend to overlook them. Having backup software allows you to manage and restore your files if they’re lost. Cloud backups even make it easy to access your data from anywhere in the world.

Popular solutions like iDrive and Dropbox are helpful tools, and they’re also budget-friendly enough for small brands.

10. Cybersecurity Solutions

Last, but not least, cybersecurity tools are crucial for small business owners in 2023. Today’s digital technology offers plenty of benefits for small brands, but it can also create vulnerabilities and invite threats.

Keeping your finances, sensitive data, and devices safe from threats is essential. Fortunately, a variety of tools can help with this.

Antivirus software, email security tools, and firewalls are great options. As you grow your brand, partnering with a cybersecurity expert is also a safe bet, as the best practices for cybersecurity are always evolving.

Harness These Small Business IT Solutions

Choosing the right small business IT solutions can help you make the most of your time, effort, and money. From the moment you send an email to a new subscriber to the automated data backups carried out every day, these digital tools make it easy to lead your brand to success.

If you’re ready to upgrade your brand to bigger and better services, working with the right IT company can help. Here at Terminal B, we’re proud to work with technology decision makers in a variety of industries, from healthcare to commercial construction to pharmaceutical firms. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do.

The Latest Innovations in Security Tech for 2023

August 8, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

The average data breach costs businesses over $4 million per incident. Most companies will have great difficulty recovering from this. Some might even find it impossible.

It’s crucial to invest in the proper cybersecurity tech to protect yourself in the future. Following the latest IT trends can help you choose the right IT software for your security measures. Let’s explore the latest developments in security tech.

Vehicle Hacking

This is one of the most important trends to stay aware of. With new vehicles incorporating advanced software, hackers are beginning to focus on the automotive industry.

New cars often utilize Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with other devices, leaving them vulnerable to hackers. Common attacks involve hackers listening to conversations that use the vehicle’s microphone.

From here, they can gain access to sensitive business data. For example, hackers who target fleets in the commercial construction industry could procure valuable information. As a result, it will become more important for business owners to consider vehicle brands that prioritize data security.

Leveraging AI

It’s no secret that the potential of AI is nearly limitless. The problem is that hackers have also realized this.

They began to develop AI-driven malware to use during their attacks that could help them bypass business security measures. However, AI can also be used to defend against cyber attacks that leverage this same technology. For instance, businesses can use AI to predict vulnerabilities and alert admins of potential threats.

Your team can then take steps to protect your company before an attack occurs. AI developments will increase exponentially in the future. This will allow businesses to take advantage of further benefits.

Mobile Device Malware

As time goes on, more people are beginning to use their mobile devices to manage accounts that have sensitive information. For instance, it’s not uncommon for people to primarily use their smartphones to log into their bank accounts.

Cybercriminals have noticed this trend, and they’re beginning to take action. The situation is made even more complicated given the lax security that mobile devices have compared to desktops, laptops, etc.

Some of the most lucrative information hackers look for include emails, photos, messages, and financial statements.

Companies that allow employees to access business data from their phones should take extra care to implement the right security measures. A great strategy to consider is disallowing the use of personal devices. Another one is containerization, which establishes encrypted, independent virtual environments on devices.

Cloud Security Concerns

Leveraging cloud technology is necessary for most companies to thrive. It’s not uncommon for businesses to purchase minimal hardware in favor of utilizing cloud technology.

However, this technology still has security flaws you should be aware of. One of the most prominent is phishing attacks. These involve hackers using social engineering to convince employees to give up sensitive information.

It often takes only a single incident for a hacker to procure login credentials. Data breaches are also a concern.

As previously mentioned, these can be costly for any type of business. Fortunately, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft prioritize bolstering data security.

Increased Security Automation

Automation can greatly aid with tasks like real-time data monitoring. This comes with two primary benefits:

You don’t need a dedicated employee
You can take action as soon as possible

In some cases, security automation can eliminate threats before they arise. In combination with AI, companies can significantly boost their defense against hackers. The main bottleneck that businesses experience is integrating automation.

Not all companies have the same security architecture. So, there isn’t a universal answer to many problems. Large, complex applications can also be difficult to safeguard.

Even mild use of automation can come with many benefits due to its power. Working with an IT consultant can help get you started on the right track.

An Uptick in Ransomware Attacks

This type of malware aims to extort businesses in exchange for regaining access to their data. Unfortunately, hackers often take the money and run.

There is no guarantee that you’ll regain access to your encrypted information. Cybercriminals prioritize lucrative targets like those in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Companies in these spaces need to invest more resources into their security architecture.

Although these attacks will become more common, it’s essential to remember not to pay the ransom. Even the FBI recommends against doing so. Those who pay the hackers will only help fund future attacks.

Insider Threats

Human action (or inaction) is one of the primary causes of data breaches. More often than not, this is due to erroneous behavior.

However, employees sometimes take malicious action for personal gain. For this reason, businesses are beginning to implement additional data access policies. One of the most common is a zero-trust strategy.

This method declares you should never inherently trust anyone in the organization. Users will have to authenticate themselves during each access attempt.

Multi-factor authentication is also becoming more widespread. Put simply, businesses are learning that they need to focus on insider threats to keep their data as .safe as possible.

Don’t Overlook New Security Tech

Keeping these security tech trends in mind can help ensure you make the right decision. It will also help you avoid issues you may have otherwise encountered. From here, you’ll be on your way to providing the best customer experience.

Reach out to a representative today at Terminal B. We have offices in San Antonio and Austin. Our professional staff is ready to help connect you with the best IT solutions.

A Workplace Guide to Cyber Security Compliance

July 25, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

Failing to address your cybersecurity needs will cost you one way or another. The average breach creates more than $4 million in damages. Aside from the direct costs of a cyberattack, you can also end up paying a lot of money in fees when you are cited for compliance violations.

For these reasons, keeping your workplace in compliance with cybersecurity protocols is one of the best things you can do. In this article, you’ll get to know more about cyber security compliance, its importance, and how it can help the way that your company does business.

Understand the Importance of Compliance

There are several reasons that you need to make compliance a priority with your business. When you understand how vital it is, you’ll be more likely to take the proper steps for getting these issues under control.

Some of the reasons to take control of your cybersecurity compliance issues include:

Remaining transparent and trustworthy in your industry
Avoiding a public relations (PR) hit to your brand
Preventing the loss of large sums of money
Keeping your company free of harsh non-monetary penalties for violations
It keeps your company infrastructure at its best

Once you understand these areas of compliance, you can put together the resources that’ll assist you.

Know Your Compliance Needs

When you’re ready to get your compliance in order, start by understanding your needs. There are several cybersecurity compliance bodies that you may be beholden to, depending on your company and the type of business you run.

A few of the standards that you might need to adhere to include:

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) for companies in medical and related fields that host sensitive patient and practice information
IEC 27031, which is a type of protocol that deals with information communications
Personal Health Information (PHI) protocols
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework
Federal Information Security Management Act (FISM)

We live in the age of digital information and breaches are on the rise. If anything, expect more protocols and frameworks to emerge throughout the years. If you’d like to keep your company in compliance and avoid setbacks, you need to stay up-to-date with these changes as they occur.

Get Professional IT Support

So, how do you stay ahead of the curve with cybersecurity protocols? The best thing you can do is get the help of a qualified information technology (IT) company that can assist you.

These professionals can not only keep your systems up and running, but they are also experts in issues of cyber security compliance. They regularly continue their education, which keeps them in the loop on these updates as they happen.

You will add some consistency and normalcy to your setup when you invest in managed IT services for your company. With managed IT work, you’re outsourcing this part of your infrastructure to a team of professionals.

This prevents you from having to do it all yourself and lets you reduce the number of full-time positions you need to cover it. Working with managed IT pros gives you the best service possible in a way that is cost-effective and organized.

Invest in Quality Cybersecurity Tech

You also need to make sure you’re constantly upgrading your tech setup. Investing in cybersecurity tech will help you prevent a variety of issues while also keeping your company in compliance every step of the way.

Keeping your systems upgraded will help you manage your Internet of Things (IoT) security, have the latest protocols for your mobile devices, and sniff out threats before they can do damage. Make sure to also add technology that will take care of your network and endpoint security, and that each new addition gets the oversight that it needs.

Shore Up Your Cloud Security

A lot of communication today takes place in the cloud. Software as a Service (SaaS) applications are popular and companies use the cloud for storage and other large-scale tasks.

You can only rely on the cloud when all of your cloud security infrastructure is in place and you’re following protocols. Doing this will prevent sensitive information from leaking and will allow you to handle your company’s data security more effectively.

A big part of protecting your business data is to simply update your passwords. Use lengthy, smart passwords that are filled with a variety of letters, numbers, symbols, and other characters. Change the passwords on a routine schedule, as outlined in your cybersecurity compliance rules.

Doing this not only helps you avoid penalties but is also one of the biggest steps for protecting all your company’s information.

Hire a Compliance Professional

The best way to keep your company safe from compliance issues is by hiring a professional. When you have a third-party compliance officer looking after your data, practices, and details, you’ll be far less likely to get a violation.

They will run your business through the same protocols that you would face in an audit and will make sure that you’re receiving sound, timely advice. Many companies have legal advisors that can also assist you. This is crucial since cybersecurity compliance can also bring up some liability issues.

Find a company that can help you fix the issues as soon as they are spotted.

Cyber Security Compliance 101

If you’re interested in improving your cyber security compliance, these tips are an excellent place to start.

Terminal B can help you when you’re looking for simplified IT services that can make a difference. If you’re ready to get in touch, reach out to us on our website or by calling us at 512-381-4800.

How to Prevent Cyber Attacks

June 21, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

Failing to prevent a cyberattack could have a devastating impact on your business. Did you know that 83% of companies will experience some kind of data breach? If you want to keep your organization secure, you must take steps to improve your organizational resilience and culture.

This article will describe how to do this in more detail, so if you want to learn more about how to prevent cyber attacks, read on!

Keep Your Software Up to Date

One of the best pieces of cybersecurity advice is that you always need to keep your software up to date. This is important because cybercriminals often try to exploit security vulnerabilities in software. When criminals discover these kinds of vulnerabilities, there’s usually a short window where they can easily exploit them. Eventually, the software developer finds the issue and issues a security patch to correct the problem.

When you don’t update your software, not only are you missing out on the newest features, but you’re also not getting these critical security updates.

This means you should always try to keep the software on your critical systems as up-to-date as possible. In some cases, there might be a legitimate reason why you might want to stay on an older software version. For example, maybe the latest version has a compatibility issue. In this case, you’ll need to be sure that the patch you’re avoiding only contains new features and not any essential security updates. If you’re ever in doubt, you should contact the software manufacturer.

Use Two Factor Authentication

Another way you can defend your organization against cybersecurity threats is by using two factor authentication. Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a simple security system that can have very effective results. The principle is simple. Whenever someone logs in to your organization, they’ll need to confirm the log in via a secondary method. For example, you might receive a text message on your phone that contains a code. You input the code into the login screen, and your identity is confirmed.

This security method is so effective because it means an attacker would need to have access to multiple services to compromise your account. Let’s say a cybercriminal hacks your work account password. The password is useless if they don’t also have a way to get the code from your cell phone.

While dealing with a two-factor authentication system may feel like a hindrance in the beginning, it becomes second nature once you get used to it. There’s a reason why sensitive organizations such as banks insist on using this kind of security method. It’s simply one of the best ways to keep cybercriminals out of your accounts.

Back Up Your Data

If you might be dealing with attacks on network security, you should always consider your data backups. One of the biggest threats your organization could face is ransomware. Cybercriminals use ransomware to extort businesses by applying unbreakable encryption to their files. The criminal then says the victim can recover the files if they pay a hefty ransom.

Many businesses end up with such vital files locked down that they have no choice but to pay the ransom. The good news is that protecting yourself from this kind of cyber attack is easy. All you need to do is have high-quality backup systems in place. When you have a data backup, you can simply ignore the ransomware and revert to a previous configuration. If you back up your data daily, you’ll only lose 24 hours of data in the worst-case scenario. If you

Have a Plan for What to do During a Cyber Attack

You’ll also need to ensure you have a plan for what to do during a cyber attack. This can help to limit the damage that a cybercriminal could potentially cause. For example, you could plan to shut down your systems in the event of an attack. This could ensure an attacker can’t further damage your IT systems. With that said, cyber attacks can occur quite quickly, so you shouldn’t assume that you’ll be able to act in time.

The best plans for a cyber attack are based on incident response rather than trying to shut an ongoing attack down. For example, you might have someone responsible for initiating the backup systems during a ransomware attack.

The best defense against cybercriminals is building resilience before an attack occurs. Generally speaking, cyber-attacks are too fast-paced for you to be able to respond during the actual attack.

Create Security Culture

One of the most important things you can do to keep your organization safe from cyber attacks is to create a strong security culture. Creating a cybersecurity culture isn’t easy. It means your organization has frequent awareness and training about potential cybersecurity risks. It also means there are clear rules and procedures in place with strong accountability mechanisms and clear lines of responsibility.

In a strong cybersecurity culture, there’s open communication about potential cybersecurity risks, and employees feel empowered to report anything they see as suspicious to an accountable individual.

Having a solid security culture is one of the most effective ways to protect your company from an attack. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most challenging things on this list to implement. You can’t create culture by having a single cybersecurity awareness session. It needs to be a consistent process.

Now You Know How to Prevent Cyber Attacks

Now you know more about how to prevent cyber attacks. As you can see, the key here is preparation. There’s not much you can do to respond to a cyber attack while you’re actively under attack. The best solutions are to prepare in advance.

If you want to build up your company’s resilience, it makes a lot of sense to work with a professional IT company. Contact us today to learn more about how we can keep your organization safe and secure.

The Benefits of Managed IT Services for Doctors Offices

June 1, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

Did you know Texas has over 68,000 active doctors — the third most in the U.S.?

While physicians must focus on looking after patients, they must also consider things like protecting their IT assets.

Cyberattacks can hurt any company in Austin, San Antonio, or elsewhere. If you’re a tech decision-maker in the state’s mid-market healthcare, commercial construction, or pharma areas, managed IT services can help.

Do you want to learn how leveraging cloud services via an IT services company can increase productivity and decrease risk?

Continue reading to see the benefits of managed IT services for doctors offices. But before doing so, ensure you know what managed IT services entail.

What Are Managed IT Services

If your healthcare practice lacks the in-house expertise to handle IT, one option is to go through the time- and cost-intensive process of hiring IT staff. But outsourcing can give you the expertise you need at a competitive cost.

A provider of managed IT services will shoulder responsibility for your medical practice’s IT services needs.

It can offer monitoring and maintenance, backups and disaster recovery, and other essential services so that you and your staff can focus on patients.

Outsourcing means you’ll be able to delegate to professional IT personnel. And accessing what you need in the cloud means you won’t need to host equipment and servers on-site. The third-party IT services firm will handle everything.

Advantages of IT Managed Services

One obvious benefit of hiring a managed IT company is that you can offload that responsibility to a service provider specializing in the IT services space. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg since there are other advantages.

Here’s a look at several reasons why outsourcing IT services is a good idea.

Ramp Up Security

The cybersecurity threat landscape is fierce, and there’s no room for complacency. Your healthcare practice needs to have a strategy in place to mitigate risks and safeguard your corporate network from hackers.

It’s essential to know how to reduce the risks associated with data breaches, combat external and internal threats, and remain in compliance with applicable regulations, laws, and policies.

A managed IT company that specializes in helping healthcare practices will have the processes and procedures in place to help your organization.

Offer Higher Level of Patient Care

If you and your staff are preoccupied with IT services when you should be focused on patient care, neither responsibility will get the attention required. It’s best to retain the services of a third party so you can focus on patients.

And when that’s the case, the quality of patient care will go up. Your patients will have the undivided attention of the workers at your medical office.

Pain-Free HIPAA Compliance

Healthcare organizations are required to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). It requires healthcare organizations to safeguard sensitive patient health data.

This health information isn’t to be disclosed without the patient’s knowledge and consent. Hiring a managed IT services agency with experience helping doctors’ offices with their HIPPA compliance needs will work wonders.

You won’t have to worry about inadvertently running afoul of rules that can lead to substantial fines and reputational damage.

Better Record Keeping

When you hire a reputable IT services company, you can access medical office technology that helps you run and more efficient office. It’s all about the cloud.

You’ll have access to tools like electronic health records and electronic billing tools. The service provider can also advise you on what’s best for your company.

Cost Savings

As was mentioned above, hiring a managed IT services company will also save you money. Your healthcare practice won’t have to hire IT workers since you’ll have access to the highly skilled and experienced staff at the IT services firm.

Furthermore, you’ll sign an agreement that offers a fixed monthly cost. Many businesses across many industries are finding savings by going to the cloud. When you team up with the right IT services provider, the savings can add up.

Reduce Unplanned Downtime

According to one source, the average cost of downtime is north of $5,600 per minute. That’s $336,000 per hour or more than $8 million per day. Can your healthcare business afford an incident that shuts down your operations?

Unplanned downtime means you might not be able to meet the needs of patients, your workers won’t be able to do their work, and you’ll have to deal with a financial loss.

Hiring a managed IT services provider will reduce the odds of your medical office facing unplanned downtime. And in the event that such a scenario materializes, the service provider will be able to rectify the matter quickly.

When helping patients, the last thing you need is unplanned downtime. Being unable to render care could easily be a matter of life and death. So, getting the right IT services firm will help your healthcare practice to meet its objectives.

Scalability

Are you confident in your healthcare organization’s ability to quickly and seamlessly scale? If you have to buy new tools or hire more staff to accomplish this, scaling up will be a royal pain.

A managed IT services company will help your company scale up or down to meet the needs of customers or comply with regulations. Such a company will ensure you can move forward without missing a beat.

Do You Need a Managed IT Services Provider for Doctors Offices?

If your medical practice in Austin or San Antonio needs help on the IT front, consider how a managed IT services company like Terminal B can help.

Finding the right managed services provider for your healthcare business shouldn’t be difficult. In today’s business environment, you need a proactive and responsive third party that puts your business and customers first.

We specialize in providing IT services for doctors offices. Get in touch today to find out how what we do can help your healthcare organization.

How Can IT Consulting Help Your Business

May 18, 2023
Terminal B
IT Managed Services

More companies are integrating IT solutions to bolster their business processes, increasing the global budget for IT to $3.92 trillion. Small businesses are investing in upgrading their IT infrastructure, increasing security, and employee growth. Before investing in new IT systems for your Austin or San Antonio company, consider hiring an IT consulting business.

What is IT consulting, exactly, and how can an IT consultant benefit your business? Read on to find out!

After reviewing this guide, you can determine if business consultant software and IT services suit your company’s needs. Learn more about business IT services today.

What Is IT Consulting?

First, let’s cover the basics: what is IT consulting?

IT consulting services can help you optimize your IT infrastructure in order to reach business goals. IT consulting is a branch of the Information Technology industry. With IT consulting services, you can gain access to a professional’s expertise and advice.

Choosing IT consulting services is ideal if you don’t want to hire a full-time IT staff. You won’t have to pay for on-boarding or overhead. You also won’t have to worry about employee turnover affecting your IT needs.

Instead, an experienced IT consultant will oversee your technology infrastructure. They can also connect you with resources as needed to help your business. Working with an IT consulting business can help you reach your business goals faster than you would on your own.

Before hiring a consultant, consider the specific IT services you need. For example:

Cloud computing
Cyber security
VoIP services

An experienced IT consultant can review your existing infrastructure. They can identify issues that might impede your success in the future. Working with an established consulting firm will ensure you receive high-quality services that can help your Austin or San Antonio business grow.

The Benefits

How can working with an IT consultant benefit your business? Here are a few ways hiring a consultant can set your business up for success.

Access to Expertise

If you lack years of IT experience yourself, you might struggle to make informed decisions regarding your IT infrastructure.

IT consultants can provide you with a range of services, such as:

Competitive analysis
Developing an IT corporate strategy
Implementing new IT systems
Cyber security

An experienced consultant will customize their services based on your business and long-term needs. They’ll determine what technical and strategic needs align with your business goals.

Look for an IT consultant that already understands your industry. For example, perhaps you work in the health care, hi-tech commercial construction, or pharma industries. An IT expert’s understanding of your industry will ensure they make informed decisions based on your distinct needs.

Relying on their experience and expertise can help ensure a more effective digital transformation. They can determine which technologies will improve your daily business operations. With the right technologies, you can boost your team’s productivity and output, improving your ROI.

Stay Secure

Global cybercrime inflicted $6 trillion in damages within a single year. By 2025, damages could reach $10.5 trillion.

About 59% of buyers are likely to avoid companies that have suffered from a data breach in the past year. About 25% will abandon a product or service in favor of a competitor following a single instance of:

Failed transactions
Inaccessible information
Ransomware-related service disruptions

Unfortunately, 70% of shoppers feel that businesses aren’t doing enough to secure their personal information. Only 5% of a company’s folders are properly protected against cyber security risks.

Your IT consultant can help your business remain secure. With the proper cyber security services, you can protect your business before an attack. Your customers will feel more inclined to trust you as a result.

Get Immediate Help

Hiring a consultant will ensure you receive immediate help when you need it. The longer you wait to resolve IT issues, the more frustrated your customers could become. They might turn to your competitors instead.

Without an IT consultant, you might rely on a break-fix method to resolve any IT issues you experience. With the break-fix method, you wait until problems arise, then fix the problem. The time you waste trying to find a solution can cause unnecessary downtime, costing you money in the process.

With business IT services, you can resolve IT issues as soon as they occur.

In fact, they can help you take preventive measures to avoid potential pitfalls in the future.

An IT consultant will also ensure you remain up-to-date on new government or industry standards and regulations. Keeping up with these regulations will ensure you don’t receive fines. They can also affect how your business performs if not implemented efficiently.

Remain Competitive

With proper business consultant software, you can remain competitive within your industry. Otherwise, your competitors might make IT improvements you’re neglecting. Your customers might begin to recognize you’re behind the times.

Working with an IT consultant will ensure you remain relevant. They’ll help you determine which trends align with your business goals.

With their help, you won’t waste time and money on trends, software, or hardware you don’t need. You can rely on their experience and expertise to make more informed decisions regarding your IT infrastructure.

Save Time and Money

Hiring a consultant can save you time and money long-term.

First, you won’t have to hire a large IT team. Instead, you can call your IT consultant for help when you need it. They can help you determine which IT services you need to accomplish your goals and daily processes, too.

IT services can also boost your daily productivity and output, improving your ROI. With the right services, you can set your business up for long-term growth.

What Is IT Consulting?: Reap These Benefits Today

To recap, what is IT consulting? It’s your opportunity to boost company productivity and ensure long-term growth. Consider hiring a consultant for business IT services in Austin or San Antonio today!

With their IT consulting, you can protect your business and increase output while saving time and money in the process.

Want to start experiencing these benefits firsthand? We can help.

Schedule a discovery session to learn more about IT services that can help your Austin or San Antonio business grow.

What Are Co-Managed IT Services?

May 11, 2023
Terminal B
IT Managed Services

More than 600,000 new businesses are formed in the United States each year. Unfortunately, not all of these have staying power in their industries. One of the most important aspects of running a business is choosing the right managed IT services company.

However, many people are unfamiliar with the benefits they can experience from co-managed IT services. We’ve created a brief guide that has key information you need to know.

Let’s take a deeper look at co-managed IT.

Co-Managed IT Services Defined

Co-managed IT services are a partnership between a managed service provider (MSP) and an internal team. The MSP will provide the technical expertise, support, and resources necessary to maintain your IT infrastructure. The internal team will be responsible for making sure that all areas of the company are working together efficiently.

In context, this type of IT service functions as an outsourced IT department. The MSP will manage the day-to-day operations of your network and ensure that everything is running smoothly. The internal team focuses on strategic initiatives and long-term goals.

The Benefits

Your MSP will handle the management of your IT environment. This will free up time and resources that would otherwise be spent maintaining it. It also allows the internal team to focus on the core aspects of their business. The MSP can provide access to a variety of resources and services that would typically require extra spending.

This includes cloud hosting and data management services.

Co-managed IT solutions are more cost-effective than other types of setups since they don’t require the team to hire and train additional IT staff. Businesses can save money on salaries, benefits, and other associated costs.

These services provide a higher level of reliability than traditional setups. The MSP takes responsibility for maintaining the IT environment.

Doing so ensures that your systems are running optimally at all times and reduces the chances of downtime or security breaches. This is important to keep in mind, as the average data breach costs businesses over $4 million.

Finally, co-managed IT services can help businesses stay ahead of the competition. The MSP will provide access to the latest technology and tools so that you can keep up with industry trends.

As a result, your business operations will remain efficient and competitive.

Co-Managed Vs Managed

As the name implies, co-managed IT services differ from managed IT services in that they involve the collaboration between an internal team and a service provider.

With managed IT, the MSP will take full responsibility for managing your IT infrastructure. All decisions regarding hardware and software are made by the MSP. With co-managed IT, some of the decision-making power is given to the internal team.

This allows them to customize solutions to meet their specific needs and take advantage of opportunities that are not available with managed IT services.

Are They Right For Me?

To decide if co-managed IT is right for your business, consider your current IT environment and the resources at hand. If you have an internal team that is knowledgeable in IT and willing to work with a service provider, then this type of arrangement may be a good fit.

If not, it may be better to use managed services instead.

Another factor to consider is budget. Co-managed IT can be more cost-effective than managed services since it doesn’t require additional staff or hardware investments.

This can make it a great choice for businesses that are looking to reduce costs without sacrificing reliability.

Businesses That Could Benefit

There are many businesses that could benefit from co-managed IT solutions. Small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, can take advantage of the cost savings and improved reliability offered by this type of setup.

Companies that are growing rapidly or are undergoing digital transformation may also find co-managed IT beneficial. Specifically, companies that work in the tech, healthcare, or pharmaceutical industries can benefit greatly.

Leveraging co-managed cloud services can help increase productivity and minimize risk. Be sure to carefully evaluate all of your options before settling on a particular IT solution.

While co-managed IT can be a great choice for many businesses, it may not be the right fit for everyone.

Choosing a Provider

Not all providers are created equal.

When selecting a service provider for your co-managed IT setup, it’s important to consider their reputation, experience, and customer service. Look for references and reviews from other customers to get an idea of the quality of the services they offer. You should also ask about their technology stack and data security measures.

Make sure that the provider is using the latest tools and technologies to ensure that your data is secure.

Always ask about their pricing structure. Many providers offer custom plans, so make sure you understand the costs associated with each option before making a decision. Some providers may also offer discounts or special offers, so be sure to inquire about them.

As long as you do your due diligence, you’ll find the right provider for your co-managed IT needs.

Choose Co-Managed IT Today

Making the right decision might seem difficult at first. However, there are plenty of benefits that co-managed IT services can provide that you won’t find elsewhere. Keep the above information in mind so you can make the decision that is best for your company.

Looking for more information on how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to see what we can do.

What Is Cybersecurity and Why Is It Important?

April 27, 2023
Terminal B
Cybersecurity

64% of companies have experienced some form of web-based attack. 51% of companies have experienced a denial of service attack. And 62% of companies have experienced some form of phishing or social engineering attack.

The statistics go on. If you’re thinking that your business doesn’t need cybersecurity, you’re wrong. You could end up in trouble very soon if you don’t hire cybersecurity professionals.

Are you still not convinced? If so, read on! This article will tell you all about the benefits of cybersecurity.

What Is Cybersecurity?

Cyberattacks can plunge businesses like mid-market healthcare companies into chaos. The people who create these attacks can steal business data, shut down technology, and more.

Cybersecurity primarily involves protecting internet-connected systems such as data, software, and hardware from these threats. Professionals can help businesses create a strong cybersecurity strategy that can provide a high level of protection.

Some cybersecurity professionals can also help businesses create a post-cyberattack plan. This can help the business recover its data and continue its business.

What Is Internet Security?

Internet security includes managing internet-associated risks. All of a business’s web apps, browsers, sites, etc. need protection.

You may have heard people refer to internet security and cyber security interchangeably. In reality, they shouldn’t be doing this. Not all cybersecurity services involve online security.

However, most of the threats that a business will deal with will come over the internet. So any cybersecurity expert your company hires should mostly deal with internet security.

Types of Cyber Attacks

So what types of threats is your, say, commercial construction firm up against? Below, you’ll find some of the ways in which malicious individuals can attack your business’s network.

Malicious Websites

Many internet sites can infect a business’s network. If an employee accesses such a malicious site, the network can become flooded with malware. This can cause system malfunctions and/or steal data.

In addition, certain malicious individuals can access illegal or inappropriate content with a company’s system. This can harm a business’s reputation.

Credential Stealing

Cybercriminals can collect user credentials. This includes passwords, usernames, etc. These criminals can then use this information to access corporate systems.

How can cybercriminals get these credentials? They may create phishing sites or organize data breaches. In other situations, they can easily guess weak and reused passwords.

Phishing

Phishing is a method that cybercriminals use to gather user data. They will send emails to targets that appear to be from trusted companies. Usually, these emails will ask the recipients to give them certain types of data.

If the recipient trusts the email, they will give up their data. This can give cybercriminals access to bank accounts, data networks, etc.

Malware

The term “malware” is short for malicious software. This is software that cybercriminals create for evil purposes. They may try to send the malware to the network itself or trick someone else into downloading it.

Once a piece of malware is in a computer system, it can cause problems in several ways. It may hijack the system, steal or encrypt data, cause system malfunctions, and/or hurt a system in other ways.

Loss of Data

Companies don’t just lose data through cyberattacks alone. In many cases, employees may accidentally leak data themselves. They may divulge it to an outsider or save sensitive data on unsecured personal accounts.

Why Is Security Important?

So why should a business like a pharma firm protect itself from these kinds of threats? You can find some reasons for this in the sections below.

Prevent Business Disruptions

Are you looking to increase productivity at your company? If so, you shouldn’t want your business to get cyberattacks. A cyberattack could disrupt your business’s operations.

Protect Employees and Customers

The personal data of employees and customers can get leaked in a cyberattack. If this happens, your employees and customers will trust you less. Both of them can then end up leaving your business.

Prevent a Damaged Reputation

As mentioned earlier, cybercriminals can use your network to access illegal and morally questionable content. They can also access and leak questionable data from your network. This can ruin your business’s reputation and cause you to lose business.

Protect Your Company Finances

Cybercriminals may be able to access the bank account where your company stores its financial assets. If they do this, they could drain your company of funds.

Comply With Regulations

Some industries have regulations in place that require businesses to have a certain amount of data security. If you allow a breach to happen, your company may have to pay hefty fines and deal with other penalties.

The Benefits of Cybersecurity Services

As you can see, good cybersecurity can help your business stay safe in several ways. But you may be thinking that you don’t need cybersecurity professionals. You may believe that your business can create a cyber security plan on its own.

DIY cybersecurity plans are possible, but experts do not recommend them. All the cybersecurity tips you can find online cannot match a cybersecurity team’s level of experience. Here are some ways that these professionals can help you.

Can easily identify the nature of cybersecurity threats
Can quickly resolve any problems caused by cyberattacks
Can provide small businesses with the same services as large ones
Can teach employees how to deal with cybersecurity threats
Can tell you all about the regulations your business needs to follow
Can recommend the best cybersecurity tools and procedures
Can cost less than an in-house IT and/or cybersecurity team.

Try Our Cybersecurity Services

Now that you know the benefits of cybersecurity services, you should see why your company needs them. Hopefully, you will soon be off to find the best possible services. This should keep your company nice and safe.

And if you’re a technology decision-maker in Texas, you don’t need to look any further than our cybersecurity services. We will train your staff and create an impenetrable cybersecurity plan. We’ll also make sure that it complies will all the demanding standards.

Schedule your discovery session by filling out the form on this page.

Protect Your Organization From Spear Phishing. Here’s How!

March 31, 2023
Terminal B
Blog

The year 2016 saw an exponential rise in major data breaches. Hackers got a firm grip on literally hundreds of thousands of organizations. This included major corporations, Fortune 500 companies, tech companies, and so on.

For example, did you know that there’s a hacker attack every 39 seconds?

Phishing attacks remain one of the primary ways hackers get their hands on confidential information. But did you know about Spear Phishing?

Many organizations are working hard to educate employees on the dangers of phishing. Spear phishing though is a particularly dangerous form of this type of scam that works at co-opting an employee’s information that you might not have even heard about.

Spear Phishing vs Phishing

So how do spear phishing attacks differ from standard phishing attacks? To keep yourself safe, you need to know your enemy.

It doesn’t matter if you can keep yourself safe from one if you can’t keep yourself safe from the other. Data lost is data lost.

To resolve this, let’s take a look at some of the differences between a standard phishing attack and a spear phishing attack.

Standard Phishing

Standard phishing is one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to internet scams. It became popular in the early days of the internet when people were a bit more trusting. It relies on poor internet literacy.

This is why to this day, the standard victims of phishing tactics are older people who don’t understand the internet as well.

There are several ways phishing is conducted, but the standard method is to send out a mass email posing as some sort of trusted party. This might be a large company that you often buy from and log into — like Amazon, a credit card company, or even your employer.

These messages will disguise as casual, telling you to click on a link or enter your information. It will give justification for this, telling you you might need to update your account, etc. Once you click on these links or type this information in, cybercriminals move in.

This is bad enough when it happens to someone on their own. It gets even worse when people work for a bigger company, and suffer from a phishing attack on a company account. From here, the cyber criminals can find out sensitive information, and likely will be able to get access to information about other people in the company.

You can usually spot a phishing attack with typos. Often, people conducting these attacks aren’t native English speakers, and send out these emails en masse. They’re playing the numbers game here.

Usually, the scammer will use a domain name with a slightly misspelled title, or make up a name that sounds like a trusted domain. They might use a name like “Apple Store Support Team” — so that you assume it’s an email from Apple.

Spear Phishing

Spear phishing is more sinister than phishing, because it’s significantly more targeted. It’s a more complex and sophisticated form of cybercrime, so if someone is attempting it on you, they likely have some experience in this world.

Spear phishing is when someone uses phishing tactics on a specific person. Already, this has scary implications. If you’re the target of a phishing attack, someone has chosen you as their target; they don’t just want information, they want your information.

Someone who’s targeting you for a phishing attack likely has your name, knows where your work, knows your email, and knows about your job role.

Generally, from here, the tactics are the same as phishing tactics. The scammer is going to try to get you to give away your info to them so they can get their way in to your company.

However, these tactics are going to be significantly more effective because the message wasn’t sent out en masse. It was sent just to you.

Likely, the person conducting this scam has thought this true, speaks English well, and is, most alarmingly, quite smart. They’ve probably studied the correspondence between you and trusted sources — maybe a higher-up in your company, and be able to replicate the tone of the conversation.

They might, for example, “respond” to an email thread between you and your boss from a slightly altered domain name, leading you to not even realize something strange is going on.

What Helps Protect From Spear Phishing

Fortunately, it’s not as hard as it seems to stay safe. At the end of the day, spear phishing is still phishing — it’s just more convincing. If you know the signs of phishing and stay hyper-vigilant, you’ll keep yourself safe.

Cybercriminals can only get in with this record if you give your information or click a link. For all their advanced technology and research, they still need you to invite them in.

Train your employees to recognize phishing attacks. Teach them what spear phishing attacks are. They might be familiar with old-school attacks but think they’re safe if the attack is more personal.

Prevention is the best cure when it comes to cybersecurity.

Another important way to keep yourself safe is to keep your cybersecurity protocol as updated as possible. All of the money you spend on keeping yourself safe won’t mean anything if the criminals can stay ahead of you.

Stay Safe From Attacks

As you can see, spear phishing attacks are some of the most dangerous and malicious types of cybersecurity attacks out there. Not only do you have to worry about getting your data breached, you also have the stress of knowing that the hackers have been studying you.

At the end of the day, however a spear phishing attack is still a phishing attack. You can avoid the negative effects if you understand the risks and train your employees.

For more info on IT support, contact us today.