By Jennifer Adams
Photo Courtesy of Jefferson Santo
What would happen if you were to click on a link that locked up all of the computers on your network and you were suddenly unable to access any of the records you depend on daily to operate your business? What if you were then told that your data had been encrypted until you paid these cyber criminals a hefty ransom? Oh, and what if, even if you pay their ransom, you might not get your data back? How would it impact your business if you could not access your data for days or even weeks, or perhaps ever? How much would a disaster like this cost your business? Would a service that could help prevent this from happening be a good investment?
What are some reasons why businesses need to consider Managed IT Services?
Eric Hostetter, IT Solutions Analyst with XETX Business Solutions, says, “With the current state of the IT world, with hackers, malware, worms, viruses, trojans and the infinite number of attacks that are happening, if someone is not able to stay abreast of all the new threats from cyber criminals, you’re going to get infected. It is not a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘when’. You are going to get your data stolen.”
And staying abreast of the constant changes in the IT world can be a full-time job. Unless you have a full-time IT professional on your staff, you should enlist the help of a professional Managed IT Services Provider. Making sure operating system patches are installed, antivirus is up to date, and ensuring data backups are done properly are just a few of the tasks that are automated through the XETX Managed IT Services process. We have resources, personnel, and expertise to properly manage your network.
So, being proficient in computer use is different than knowing how to protect a network against cybercrimes?
Yes! While being proficient with computer operation is desirable, that does not equate to knowing what protocols should be in place to protect your network from the ever-evolving threats from cyberattacks. “Even if you are a whiz with Excel, Excel is not network security. You must understand computer networks and how to protect them from cyberattacks. Many small business owners don’t understand that if employees are logged into their computers with administrative rights, they can do whatever they want to do. And that is very dangerous. That is one of the things we lock down. Only qualified personnel should ever log in to a network as the administrator. Everyone else should log in as a user. It can be aggravating to them because they can’t always install a program they think they need at the moment, but it keeps them from installing something they don’t need, or from inadvertently damaging the entire network,” says Jason Liker, IT Solutions Manager with XETX.
“We train our customers to call us when they receive suspicious emails,” says Jason. “Even if the email appears to be from someone you know, call that person and ask if they sent it. If there are attachments, don’t open them.”
Why should I choose XETX to handle my network security?
XETX specialists receive updates from our Managed IT Services customers systems, so when an issue arises, we are proactive in resolving their issues. The network maintenance can be completed without the customer knowing there was ever an issue, that way they can focus on running their business.
And even if you already have an IT person in-house, it can be beneficial to have another set of eyes evaluate your system. Contact XETX Business Solutions for more information about how our Managed IT Services can help your business!