Top 8 Cybersecurity Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

Written by Layer One Networks Published February 23, 2023March 20, 2023

Introduction:

We live in a world where the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. From online banking to shopping to critical infrastructure and national security, our personal and professional lives are now conducted online. With this increased online presence, the threat of cyber attacks is a growing concern.

As technology evolves, so do the tactics used by malicious individuals to gain unauthorized access and steal sensitive information. Before we delve into the top cybersecurity trends to watch in 2023, let’s understand cybersecurity.

Understanding Cybersecurity

At its core, cybersecurity is about safeguarding our digital world from threats. It’s about protecting our computers, networks, and digital information from unauthorized access, theft, or damage. The goal of cybersecurity is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information and systems and to keep them out of the hands of cybercriminals.

The ramifications of a successful cyber attack can be devastating. The consequences can be far-reaching, from compromising personal information to causing widespread damage to critical infrastructure. That’s why individuals and organizations must understand the significance of cybersecurity and take proactive steps to defend themselves and their assets.

Staying up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity trends and utilizing the professional cybersecurity services is the best way to ensure that your digital life stays protected.

Looking to secure your organization against cyber threats?

Layer One Networks is here to help!

Call Us Today

Top Eight Cybersecurity Trends for 2023!

Creating a Cybersecurity-Minded Workforce

Gone are the days when cybersecurity was solely the responsibility of the IT department. With high-profile security breaches making headlines, it’s become increasingly clear that every employee plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information.

Additionally, as phishing attacks and other social engineering tactics continue to rise, fostering a culture of awareness around cybersecurity has become imperative for organizations looking to protect themselves in the new year.

By spreading basic security knowledge across the entire workforce, companies can ensure that cybersecurity remains a top priority and an integral part of their proactive defense strategy.

Did you know?

More than 90% of successful cyber attacks worldwide begin with a phishing email

Addressing the Security Threats With the Rise of IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing how we live and work. With billions of connected devices already in use worldwide, from home security systems to company vehicles, the IoT is revolutionizing how we interact with technology. However, as our reliance on IoT devices grows, so does the need for effective security solutions.

Despite being largely ignored in the past, IoT devices can still pose a significant threat to our digital security if not properly secured. In 2023, organizations will have to invest in security measures, including regular patches and updates, to ensure their connected devices don’t become a weak link in the security chain. With the right security measures deployed by reliable cybersecurity service providers, the full potential of the IoT can be unlocked safely and securely.

Did you know?

IoT devices designed with minimal security features can serve as easy entry points for hackers seeking to compromise enterprise networks and systems.

Protecting Your Digital Assets in the Era of Cloud Computing

As organizations continue to shift towards cloud-based solutions, the importance of robust cloud security measures is becoming increasingly critical. From safeguarding the cloud infrastructure to protecting sensitive data in transit and storage, companies must take proactive steps to secure their digital assets in the cloud.

In 2023, we can expect the demand for cloud security solutions to only grow as organizations seek managed cloud services to keep their cloud-based operations secure and protected.

Did you know?

Moving to the cloud provides many benefits, but also exposes organizations to new cybersecurity risks.

Brace Yourself for Quantum Computing

Quantum computers are set to disrupt numerous industries and cybersecurity is no exception. With their incredible speed to solve complex problems, quantum computers bring about a whole new era of cyber threats.

But don’t fret, 2023 is the year for organizations to take action and be ahead of the game. Updating security systems and implementing advanced encryption methods will be key to protecting sensitive information and safeguarding against quantum computing’s power.

Did you know?

Quantum computers can easily break public key encryption, even without having the decryption key.

Artificial Intelligence Takes Center Stage

Cybersecurity is entering a new era as technology advancements and increasing cyberattacks pressure security teams to keep up. In the past, manual monitoring and reactive response were the norms, but that’s no longer enough. Instead, security teams are turning to AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine learning) to boost their defense strategy to stay on top of the evolving threats.

With AI and ML, cybersecurity teams can leverage vast amounts of data to detect potential gaps and develop solutions before breaches happen. These algorithms are designed to learn from past attacks, identify new ones faster than humans, and provide organizations with a proactive defense against cyber threats.

In 2023, we can expect the integration of AI and ML in cybersecurity to continue to grow as organizations seek to improve their threat detection and response capabilities.

Did you know?

There will be a notable surge in cybercriminals employing MI and AI-driven techniques to carry out their cyber attacks in 2023

Boosting Cybersecurity for the Remote Workforce

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly boosted remote work, and it looks like this trend is here to stay. Unfortunately, while remote working has its benefits, it also poses new cybersecurity risks. In the past, IT departments could easily communicate with employees in the office about security updates and audits. But now, with employees relying on their devices to work remotely, it’s become a bigger challenge for organizations to protect their sensitive information.

To tackle this challenge, professional IT consulting firms must prioritize cybersecurity solutions that take into account remote workers. This means equipping remote employees with secure tools like virtual private networks (VPNs) and remote access solutions and providing regular security awareness training to minimize data leak.

Did you know?

As public and private sectors continue to enable hybrid work, the attack surface for cyber threats has significantly expanded

Navigating the 5G Cybersecurity Landscape

As 5G technology brings lightning-fast speeds and endless possibilities, it also opens the door to new and potentially more dangerous cyber threats. With the increasing sophistication of hacking techniques, companies must be vigilant in fortifying their networks to avoid being caught off guard.

However, by embracing best practices like network segmentation, multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and regularly checking for vulnerabilities, organizations can enjoy the full potential of 5G technology with peace of mind.

Did you know?

5G has many more entry points for data than 4G, which can make it easier for hackers to access users’ location and reception information.

Making Sure You’re Up to Date with Regulation Compliance

With regulations constantly changing, companies must keep up to avoid penalties and maintain a positive reputation. This includes following data privacy regulations, like GDPR (EU’s General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and industry-specific rules, like HIPAA or FINRA. In addition, strong data management and security services are key to meeting these regulations and keeping customer information safe.

Protect Your Business from Cyber Threats with Layer One Networks

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, it’s crucial to ensure that your business is equipped to handle the latest threats. While it can be challenging to stay ahead of the curve on your own, the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone.

With expert IT services and solutions, Layer One Networks can help you boost your cyber resilience. From holistic white-label offerings to asset-based pricing that fits your budget, we can help you get the most out of your security investments.

Don’t let the ever-changing threat landscape keep you up at night.

Get in touch with our security service Corpus Christi team today to learn more about how we can help you adapt to the latest challenges and protect your business.

IT services

Major Signs Your Company Needs Help from An IT Service Provider

Written by Layer One Networks Published December 24, 2022January 9, 2023

Introduction:

Dependency on technology is essential for business success today. Whether you are a large enterprise, a small business, or somewhere in between, you are using technology to deliver the services or products that keep your business profitable, efficient, and visible.

But what happens when the technology you rely on fails? Without optimized systems and up-to-date IT solutions, your business will struggle to meet the demands of your customers and stay ahead in the marketplace.

Managing your IT infrastructure with limited knowledge and experience can have serious repercussions. It will not only keep you from devoting the time and energy needed to focus on growing your business but could also cost you more money if the wrong solutions are implemented.

When you find yourself in this situation, you most certainly need help from a professional IT services company to ensure your business will operate at its full potential.

Below are some signs indicating you need a professional IT service provider immediately.

When you want to kick-start a digital transformation project, you need an IT services provider who specializes in this area. They will help you identify the necessary changes and create deployment plans that include user training, data migration, and other tasks needed for the successful implementation of digital solutions.

Signs Your Business Needs IT Services Company

Your Systems are Outdated:

You may find yourself in a situation where your current systems are not meeting the demands of your business. Outdated software and hardware, legacy systems, and lack of integration can stress your team. This may result in slowing down operations and hampering employees’ productivity.

Professionally managed IT service providers support the business transition from legacy systems to modern IT solutions. From securing new solutions to implementing them and providing ongoing support, IT support companies have the skills to keep your systems up and running smoothly.

Your Cybersecurity Measures are Lagging:

If you were busy setting up multiple systems and installing hardware for your business, your cybersecurity had likely taken a backseat. Without a solid cybersecurity strategy to withstand modern cyber threats, your business can suffer from a breach, data loss, or any other security incidents causing your clients to lose faith in your business.

A cybersecurity plan offered by a professional data security services provider involves a selection of security tools that can detect, monitor, and prevent security issues. It also involves educating your staff on safe cyber practices, such as phishing and social engineering, to minimize the risk of a cyber attack and loss of sensitive information.

Your Business is Growing Too Fast:

If your business has considerably grown in the past few months, you may need to add more resources to keep up with the demand. Also, your existing network infrastructure and hardware may lack the speed and capacity to support the increased workload.

A growing business should have an IT infrastructure that is easily scalable and can be modified or upgraded quickly as needed. An imbalance between your workload and resources will often mean inefficiency, lack of productivity, and poor customer service.

To accommodate all of your IT needs during fast business growth, you will need the help of a professional IT support team with experience in designing and implementing an infrastructure that can grow along with your business.

Your IT Staff is Overwhelmed:

Even if you have your dedicated IT setup, your team may need more knowledge and skills to manage certain IT tasks. Or your strength may be inadequate to keep up with the demand of your business growth.

A growing business generally needs a big team of IT professionals with different specialties and experience to provide around-the-clock support. But this setup is homologously expensive and only a viable option for some businesses.

So what do you do if you cannot afford a full-time IT staff? The answer is to offload some of your IT management needs to an experienced IT service provider. Not only will this cost you less, but you can get the technical skills of an entire team to solve all your IT issues causing less stress on your team.

Your IT Issues are Causing Down-Time:

Using sophisticated technology for operations and support can benefit your business. However, it can result in costly downtime if you cannot troubleshoot or fix issues as soon as they arise. In most cases, this happens because you need more familiarity with the technology and thus need to either consult manuals or reach out to vendors for assistance.

The longer your business remains out of service, the more time you and your team will put in to compensate for the lost hours. And at times, it may also happen that your business will never be able to recover from the downtime.

By relying on an experienced IT service provider, you will get a team of professionals who can detect and fix IT issues quickly and with minimal disruption to your operations or customers. This way, you can stay competitive without incurring any major losses.

Your IT Strategies are Not Coherent:

Businesses generally use IT services to grow their business, but they need help understanding how it can be correctly implemented to reach their strategic goals efficiently. With the ever-growing technology and constant evolution of options, it is often difficult for a business owner to know the scope of options available to create a competitive edge.

To make the most of this growth, you need an IT consulting firm to educate you on the latest hardware and software options and how to use them for your benefit. They can also help you develop the right strategies to prevent delays and bottlenecks in the future and align IT solutions with your business objectives.

Your Business is Going Digital:

Digital transformation helps businesses redefine their operations, making them more efficient and cost-effective. However, if the transformation takes place without proper roll-out plans and strategies, it can cause chaos in your business operations and damage your staff morale.

Strengthen Your IT Infrastructure with a Professional IT Services Company:

When running a business, dealing with technical issues is the last thing you want. However, without the right IT solutions, you may be more involved in tackling IT issues rather than focusing on what matters most – driving the business forward.

Do not let your IT troubles slow down your business. Instead, get in touch with Layer One Networks, the leading IT support and services provider in Corpus Christi, TX. Our IT professionals specialize in solving companies’ technical problems with long-term cost-effective solutions.

Managed IT Services

Save Money by Outsourcing 3 Major Business Services to Managed IT

Written by Layer One Networks Published October 7, 2022October 7, 2022

Introduction:

Whether you’re running a thriving business or a small startup, you always get bogged down by various tasks that are not your core competency. And with technical stuff popping up daily, you may find yourself involved more with devices and software than with your customers.

But not to worry; to help you streamline your processes and get your business back on track, we have compiled a list of 3 business services you can outsource to Layer One Networks, the best managed IT services providers around.

Data Back-up in the Cloud and Locally:

Your day-to-day business function relies on the smooth data flow to and from your devices. But what happens when that smooth data stops circulating? You run into BIG trouble!

Losing data means you cannot get work done effectively, have to start from scratch or even lose out on important clientele. Downtime for even a couple of hours can not only cost you dearly in today’s fast-paced business world, but it also showcases your company in a negative light.

If your business depends more on local servers for data storage, you might consider backing up your data in the cloud. Generally, businesses that invest in both are more prepared and protected against data loss. How – local backup keeps you more agile in case of accidental data deletion. Although slow, the cloud backup is more secure and offsite protects your data from physical damage.

But why is outsourcing this critical service to managed IT services like ours the best idea?

For starters, we will be able to suggest the best possible data backup solutions for your business. And in case of any data loss, our disaster recovery services will have you back up and running in no time!

Broadly when you outsource your backup management to a professional that knows how to do it best, you are cutting the risk of data loss to a bare minimum. Although outsourcing may cost you some money upfront, it is a small price to pay when you compare it with the cost of losing important data.

IT Security that Provides you Round the Clock Protection from Online Threats:

The internet is a blessing and a curse. It has given us the platform to reach out to new customers and help our businesses grow. But it’s also susceptible to various online threats like malware, viruses, phishing attacks, etc., which can infect our systems and leak important company data.

It generally takes six months on average for a company to detect a data breach. Now imagine for six months, your customer’s data was with some outsider without you knowing it. SCARY right?

Not just that, data breaches can cost you money in two ways. Firstly, if your breach results in your customers losing faith in your company, you are bound to see a drop in sales and customers. Secondly, you may also attract hefty fines from not-so-friendly government agencies. Penalties usually depend on the nature and size of the data that was compromised, so you cannot predict how big of a hit you will have to take.

Partnering with Layer One Networks, a reliable IT consulting firm well versed in the latest IT security threats and solutions, can help you get around these problems.

Our team of IT experts will install the best possible security solutions for your business and keep track of any online activity on your systems 24/7. So in the event of a security breach, the damage is mitigated before it gets too out of hand.

Outsourcing IT security to managed IT services in Corpus Christi will also help you stay updated with the latest security trends and solutions without breaking your bank!

IT Support That Saves You Time and Money:

You are in serious trouble if your business lacks any IT support, be it in-house or managed IT services.

Although small to medium size businesses see technology as a big priority, they usually lack the budget and expertise to invest in an in-house IT team. So what do they do? They try to manage everything independently or hire some random “computer guy” from the neighborhood to help them with their IT problems.

Managing your business’s IT needs on your own or hiring someone with no expertise in the field can cost you time and money, which you cannot afford to lose.

So what is the best way forward? The answer is simple – OUTSOURCE your IT support needs a reliable and reputable IT consulting firm like Layer One Networks.

Our team of IT experts will not only help you with your day-to-day IT problems but will also proactively work towards improving your overall IT infrastructure, which includes a bit of everything such as:

Data backups
Disaster Recovery
IT security
Networking
Cloud computing
Help Desk support
IT Consultation
Systems Integration
and much more!

Outsourcing your business services to a professional IT consulting firm is a win-win for both parties. While you save money by not hiring a team that you won’t need full-time, we get to serve more happy customers and grow our business.

So why not reach out to Layer One Networks today to see if we can be of any assistance to you and your business?

Even if nothing else works, you will at least get a free IT consultation from us!

Cloud Services

Understanding The Difference Between Cloud Computing and Traditional IT Infrastructure

Written by Layer One Networks Published June 29, 2022June 29, 2022

Confused about choosing cloud or your traditional on-premise IT infrastructure?

Well, cloud computing and traditional IT infrastructure are different methods of running an enterprise. The former is a model where a third-party provider hosts your data and applications, while the latter is where you own and maintain your hardware and software.

In this blog, we will dig deep into some of the differences between these two types of infrastructure models in terms of setup, costs, flexibility, and scalability.

Infrastructure Setup

Cloud Computing: Cloud computing refers to delivering hosted services over the internet. It allows users to access applications and storage over the internet without purchasing their hardware or software licenses. This makes it possible for companies to scale up or down as needed, which helps them save on costs associated with IT infrastructure maintenance.

It also helps with compliance because you don’t have to worry about keeping your data secure from hackers or malware attacks since everything resides in a secure offsite location managed by a third-party provider.

Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructure refers to an on-premises setup where all applications and data are stored on company-owned hardware and software licenses. This setup can be expensive because businesses need to invest in new equipment every few years to keep up with demand for new features, not to mention all the additional costs associated with operating systems.

Scalability

Cloud Computing: The ability of cloud computing to scale up or down as needed without any downtime or disruption is one of its key benefits. For example, if you need more storage space or processing power, you can simply add more resources by increasing the number of virtual machines (VMs) in your server farm. As you reduce your usage, you can shut down VMs and free up those resources for other uses.
Traditional IT Infrastructure: In a traditional IT infrastructure, data is stored locally on your company’s servers or storage devices. In other words, all your data is stored in one place where it can be accessed locally by everyone who needs access. This means that if your business grows bigger and you need more storage capacity, you will need to buy more hardware and invest in expensive upgrades to keep up with demand.

Remote Flexibility

Cloud Computing: Cloud computing allows you to access all your data from anywhere at any time without worrying about where it’s stored or how much space it takes up on your hard drive or server. This makes it easy for employees to work remotely since they don’t have to carry around laptops or tablets anymore; they just log into their PCs via VPN or some other secure connection method so they can access their files from their homes or while traveling on business trips.
Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructures are rigid as they are difficult to change without significant cost implications or downtime associated. It is not flexible enough to meet the changing needs of businesses.

Costs

Cloud Computing: Cloud computing solutions tend to be cheaper than traditional ones because they require less upfront investment on your part as well as reduced ongoing expenses such as maintenance fees or power bills. The pay-per-use model makes it easier to scale up or down your usage as needed without paying large setup fees or monthly minimums.
Traditional IT Infrastructure: Traditional IT infrastructures are owned and operated by an organization directly. The organization owns all the hardware, software, operating systems, and applications needed to provide its employees with IT services. The organization also hires IT support staff members responsible for maintaining the infrastructure.

You may even need to hire an IT consultant service for managed services to handle your infrastructure. All of this contributes to a huge amount in the installation as well as the operating costs of the traditional IT infrastructure.

When Should You Choose One Over the Other?

Cloud computing has numerous benefits over traditional IT infrastructure

It is flexible and scalable, meaning it can grow or shrink as needed based on your business needs.
Cloud computing also offers increased security since your data is stored in a central location rather than on your computer.
Cloud computing provides access to and uses IT resources as a service rather than building and maintaining them in-house. Cloud computing allows organizations to focus more on business innovation than IT maintenance and support.
Additionally, it reduces costs by eliminating the need for equipment purchases and maintenance costs.

A traditional IT infrastructure has some advantages over cloud computing as well.

A traditional IT infrastructure allows you greater control over your systems.
Such control can be critical if you have sensitive data that must remain confidential or if there are compliance issues like HIPAA regulations requiring certain security measures that a public cloud service provider can’t fulfill.

If you want more information about the best choice for your organization, reach out to our IT consulting firm. Our IT support specialist is an expert in all things cloud computing and IT infrastructure and can guide you to make the right choice.

Cloud Services

The Difference Between Cloud Security and Network Security

Written by Layer One Networks Published June 23, 2022June 23, 2022

Security is a top priority for every business. Now that technology has grown more advanced, security measures have also become more sophisticated and intricate. Many organizations are embracing the benefits of newer technologies while they struggle with ways to protect their data and infrastructure.

Since most of our operations are over the internet, we have become vulnerable to malicious attacks and data breaches. This can cause businesses to lose important customer information and harm their businesses’ reputations and bottom line.

Cloud security and network security are both very important to ensure the safety of your business, but they serve different purposes. In this blog, we’ll look at the major differences between both and when you’ll need data security services to protect you.

What is Cloud Security?

When multiple users access the cloud computing server, the data becomes vulnerable to attack.

Cloud security is the term for online information protection. It refers to protecting data, applications, and infrastructure in cloud computing environments. Cloud security is particularly important because it deals with sensitive data that could be compromised if not protected properly.

Cloud security protects a cloud computing environment from internal and external threats. It includes protecting data, applications, and other resources hosted by the cloud provider. Cloud security is implemented through various strategies, including authentication, access control, encryption, patch management, and data loss prevention.

Cloud security works by keeping your data safe while it’s in transit or at rest on a remote server. Cloud encryption protects your data while it’s being transmitted over the internet, and encrypts your data so that only authorized users can access it.

What is Network Security?

Data travels through networks to reach its destination, so there needs to be a way to keep it safe while it’s being transmitted.

Network security relates to the protection of a network from external threats. It is a common term used to describe the security measures taken over a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).

Network security focuses on protecting the computers themselves from unauthorized access by hackers who may try to break into them remotely through the internet or other networks such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It also aims to prevent intruders from accessing sensitive information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers.

Network security is implemented through firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), virtual private networks (VPNs), antivirus software, and other tools.

Cloud Security vs. Network Security: How Different are They?

Type of Protection

Cloud security and network security are different concepts often used interchangeably, but they mean different things. Cloud security means the security measures taken within a cloud environment. Network security refers to the measures taken on a network, regardless of whether it’s in a cloud or not. So while cloud security is a wide term, network security is a part of it.

Level of Protection

Cloud security is a system that protects data that is stored in the cloud, including email, documents, photos, and other files. This type of security involves encrypting data before it leaves your computer or device and then decrypting it after it reaches its destination.

Network security is protecting data on a network using firewalls and antivirus software. This type of security aims to prevent hackers from accessing your computers or networks.

Method of Protection

Cloud security is a set of tools and practices used to protect data in the cloud. It includes encryption, segmentation, and other methods of keeping your data safe as you move it around. Network security protects your network from outside threats with firewalls, antivirus software, and other tools that prevent unauthorized access to your internal network.

Enforcing Maximum Security for Your IT Infrastructure

In the past decade, the cloud has been a major disruptor for the IT industry. With the emergence of cloud services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), many businesses have adopted this new technology that offers many benefits over traditional on-premise solutions. Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular among organizations to reduce costs and improve efficiency and agility while increasing their ability to react quickly to business opportunities and challenges.

However, an organization’s security posture must be strong to protect their data and applications from internal and external threats to their networks — and you’ll also need strong disaster recovery measures in place. This is especially true when moving data into the cloud, where it can be accessed by external users or hosted on a third-party server with no direct control by an organization’s IT department.

This is when you’ll need the help of IT support or IT consultant service to exercise maximum security to protect your data at all costs.

Want to hire an expert IT consulting firm to help enforce data security? Then reach out to our team in Corpus Christi, providing data security service. We offer various levels of protection and security measures to keep your entire IT infrastructure safe. Our IT support specialists can help you develop a solid plan to secure your IT operations.

Managed IT Services

What is Fully Managed Service and Why is it Important?

Written by Layer One Networks Published May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

A fully managed IT service can be a great option for companies that don’t have the time or resources to manage their servers or are looking for experts to manage and maintain the infrastructure without any hiccups.

A fully managed service can provide everything from proactive IT operations and streamlined ticketing for all IT issues to remote monitoring and management software for key IT infrastructure. It frees up your time from managing the IT-related tasks so that you can focus on your core business.

In this blog, let’s look at how managed IT services can help you and everything that’s included in it.

How Can a Managed IT Service Provider Help?

Streamlined, Efficient Support

We can help you with everything from setting up your new computer, to upgrading your software and hardware, to fixing issues (if they do occur) daily. We’ll take care of all the technical support tasks, so you don’t have to.

One person will be assigned as your primary contact for all IT needs — from troubleshooting an issue in the office or fixing your home network connection at night when you get home from work. This means no more getting passed around between different teams and departments!

Proactive Reporting and Analysis

Fully Managed Service also includes proactive reporting and analysis. This is regularly monitoring your business to ensure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently and identifying any problems before they become more severe. In addition to checking key metrics, our team will conduct in-depth reviews of your business to make sure everything’s on track—or if there are any changes, we can optimize performance.

Vendor Coordination and Management

Vendor coordination is one of the critical foundations of IT managed services. This function ensures that your vendor partners work together to deliver consistent service quality across different areas, such as network operations, customer support, and billing. Your IT consulting firm offering managed IT services will operate as a central point of contact for all issues related to service delivery, including:

Vendor selection: Work with an expert in managing vendors to find the right partner for each component of your cloud infrastructure or application stack. This may include setting up contracts with third-party vendors like power companies or Internet service providers (ISPs).
Vendor evaluation: Get help from experts who can review your current vendors’ offerings against industry benchmarks and standards. They’ll identify opportunities where you might get better value by switching suppliers or renegotiating contracts on price or other terms of service.

High Availability

As a managed service provider, our goal is to deliver high availability, high security, and high performance.

High availability refers to the ability of a system to be available for use during a specific time period. In other words, it’s the amount of time your service will remain accessible before you have to start worrying about it being down.

We don’t want anything less than 100% uptime for all of our clients so we work hard every day towards making sure that their websites are live and serving customers around the clock without any interruptions whatsoever.

What is Included in a Fully Managed IT Service?

There are several functions included in fully managed IT services, but here are a top few:

Network security & risk mitigation: This service ensures that your network is safe from any kind of attack or intrusion. It also helps you to manage risks by identifying potential vulnerabilities in your network.

Endpoint detection & response (EDR): EDR helps you to detect malware on all of your devices so that you can remove it before it causes any damage or infection to your system.

Desktop virtualization: Desktop virtualization allows you to access your desktop remotely so that you can work from anywhere and everywhere. This also helps to improve productivity by reducing travel time and costs associated with having multiple locations for businesses.

Data backup & recovery: Data backup & recovery ensures that all of your important data is safe, even if something happens to the device on which it was stored or if someone accidentally deleted it accidentally or maliciously deletes it intentionally!

What are the Different Types of Fully Managed IT Services?

Managed Cloud Services: Some businesses prefer to outsource their IT support while others choose to manage it independently. With managed cloud services, your company gets full-service IT support with the flexibility of using a public cloud to have security and cost-effectiveness. You can consult with the provider to find the best plans.
Managed Hosting: A managed hosting solution combines web hosting, server management, and disaster recovery into one package. It provides all the necessary hardware and software to run your website or application in an environment where someone else monitors its performance, maintains backups, and patches any vulnerabilities as needed — all at a low cost per month compared to other options like hiring in-house personnel or purchasing expensive dedicated servers yourself.
Managed Security: We conduct regular security checks on your system and protect against malware, virus, and other online threats. Each device always has up-to-date protection against viruses, worms, and spyware—no matter where those threats originate.

Hire a Trusted Fully Managed IT Service Provider

As your needs grow, you will look for a reliable and trusted provider. You want to know your provider is dependable. You want a provider with the experience needed to take your business to the next level. An ideal IT service provider can help you through challenges and make sure everything runs smoothly in the background.

This is where our IT consultant service shines. We provide managed IT services for our clients in Corpus Christi, helping them maintain their IT infrastructure so that it doesn’t get in the way of their everyday operations.

Want to know more about how we can help you? Reach out to us now to discuss your need for IT services.

Disaster Recovery

IT Resilience vs. Disaster Recovery: Understanding the Difference

Written by Layer One Networks Published May 20, 2022May 20, 2022

If you’re like most leaders, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about disaster recovery and how to avoid it. After all, it’s the stuff of nightmares – a natural disaster or man-made catastrophe that knocks out your IT infrastructure, leaving your business in the lurch.

Disaster Recovery (DR) and IT Resilience are two different approaches to the same goal: keeping your organization running in the event of a disaster. While DR is more focused on recovering from a disaster, IT Resilience is about being prepared for one.

In this blog, we’ll look at each option and when you will need one over the other.

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster recovery is restoring computing systems and data to a functional state after a disaster such as fire, flood, or theft. Disaster recovery can also include business continuity planning and testing, ensuring that an organization can continue operations despite an outage.

The organization can recover from a disaster. Disaster recovery plans are designed to help organizations return to normal operations after a disaster. Organizations that have deployed cloud computing solutions may also refer to their DR plan as a BC/DR plan (business continuity/disaster recovery).

What is IT Resilience?

IT resilience is about ensuring that the IT infrastructure can withstand any kind of disruption and still be able to perform its mission-critical tasks. A resilient IT infrastructure can continue to operate in the event of any type of failure, whether it’s technical or natural.

IT resilience is an organization’s ability to maintain operations despite disruptions in the availability of IT services. This means continuing to provide basic services even when there are issues with one or more parts of the IT infrastructure.

This could include having redundant components or systems in place so that when one component fails, another can take over seamlessly, having backups ready so that users can continue working if there is a disruption, or using load balancing techniques so that multiple servers work together as if they were one server.

What’s the Difference Between IT Resilience and Disaster Recovery?

Disaster Recovery is a Process That Activates After a Disaster has Occurred

The term “resilience” refers to the ability of an IT service (or application) to maintain its level of service in the face of an outage. This differs from disaster recovery — which is focused on restoring normal operations after a catastrophic event. In other words, resilience is about keeping things running as usual, while disaster recovery services focus on restoring normal operations after something goes wrong.

Disaster recovery is an emergency response plan for when your business experiences an unexpected catastrophe or disruption that could harm operations, such as an earthquake, flood, or hack. It’s different from IT resilience because it happens after a disaster has already occurred — not before.

IT Resilience is Preventative; Disaster Recovery is Reactive

IT resilience focuses on preventing problems before they happen. Disaster recovery focuses on reacting to problems after they occur.

IT resilience is about preventing disasters from occurring in the first place by making plans to protect against them before they occur. With IT resilience, you’re taking steps to avoid problems before they happen, so there are fewer issues when they do occur. For example, if there’s a potential risk of a data leak or a software virus getting embedded, you can install appropriate antivirus systems and conduct regular scans to prevent such an incident.

Disaster Recovery Helps Recover from Incidents

IT resilience helps your organization stay in control during an emergency by maintaining access to data, applications, and users even when disaster strikes. Disaster recovery helps ensure that you can recover quickly enough so that users can be back up and running as soon as possible after a disaster strikes.

On the other hand, IT resilience gives your organization the knowledge and tools to respond quickly if something goes wrong. And an IT consulting service can help you create a strategy to implement IT resilience by taking into account your previous incidents.

When Do You Need Disaster Recovery?

There are different types of events that trigger the need for recovery.

A disaster may be a flood, hurricane, earthquake, or any other major event that damages critical infrastructure that affects your business continuity. A disruption could be something like a power outage, server failure, or even an attack on your systems. In most cases, you’ll have time to prepare for these types of events, but in some cases, they can take place without warning.

For example, if your data center suffers minor damage during a power outage but remains operational for most functions (e.g., email, file sharing), this would be considered an interruption rather than a full-blown incident requiring IT.

This is when you need disaster recovery services.

When Do You Need IT Resilience?

Achieving IT resilience requires systems, services, and processes that work together to protect your data and ensure availability. Let’s take a look at three common scenarios where you’ll need an IT resilience strategy and backup as a service:

You’re running a 24/7 operation where uptime is critical
You have key employees who work remotely from home or other offices, but they still need access to all their data and applications via VPNs or even the internet itself.
Your company’s cybersecurity model requires high-availability systems.

Do You Need Disaster Recovery Services or IT Resilience?

What many people don’t realize is that there are two distinct types of business continuity planning: disaster recovery and IT resilience. And while disaster recovery is essential for any organization with mission-critical systems, IT resilience can be just as important — especially if you want to survive in today’s competitive landscape.

Want to know more about how both of these can work well for your organization? Reach out to our IT consulting firm to discuss your recovery and resilience plans.

IT Consulting, Managed IT Services

Technical Support vs Managed Services: Which One is Best for Your Business?

Written by Layer One Networks Published April 30, 2022April 30, 2022

You may not give it much thought, but the IT providers you choose to support your business can significantly affect your bottom line. You’re losing money if you’re experiencing downtime due to poor support. Even worse, if you’re being overcharged for services you don’t need, that’s money that could be put to better use elsewhere in your business.

So how do you know which type of IT services provider is right for your business? Let’s examine the differences between technical support and IT-managed services.

What is Technical Support?

Technical support is a service that provides help with technology-related problems or questions. This may include troubleshooting issues, providing information, or fixing hardware issues like replacing broken parts on computers or other devices.

Technical support is a reactive model and can fix problems after they’ve already caused damage to your company. Technical support is like the traditional firefighter role for computers. When something goes wrong with your system, you call tech support and they run in to put out the flames.

It is offered to help businesses on a case-by-case basis. For example, if a computer or device malfunctions or stops working, technical support will be provided to help fix the problem. If a virus infects an entire system or individual machine, technical IT support will be offered so that the infected computer can be cleaned up and restored to its original state.

What is Managed Support?

Managed services refer to a service delivery model in which the service provider takes on full responsibility for monitoring and maintaining the customer’s infrastructure. This includes applying patches, updating software, installing new versions, and more. In most cases, this also provides access to a help desk that handles simple requests and escalates issues to more complex levels as required.

Managed services is a method of outsourcing day-to-day IT management as a strategic method for improving operations and cutting expenses. Through an IT consulting service, businesses can access resources they wouldn’t normally have access to due to budgetary or skill limitations. The company’s employees will be able to focus their attention on running the business while their provider takes care of the IT needs.

Technical Support vs Managed Services: Which One to Choose?

Technical support and managed services are two of the most common types of IT support, but they’re very different. Choosing one over the other can have a major impact on your company’s future success.

Technical support is a reactive service that responds to issues as they arise. IT managed services, on the other hand, are proactive. It anticipates possible problems and takes measures to prevent them from arising.

But which is the best for your business? Let’s find out.

When Do You Need Technical Support?

Technical support is a more generic way of describing IT services. The term can be applied to almost any aspect of IT services – from software installation and application maintenance to general troubleshooting and ongoing system management (including installing patches, updates, etc.). It can also involve other elements such as providing strategic guidance for decision-making or helping train employees on how to use new tools.

When you need regular support: Your business needs regular technical support to keep your IT infrastructure running smoothly.
When you require a highly experienced team to solve issues quickly: There are times when you encounter a particularly hard IT issue for which you need experts to handle. This is when a technical IT support team can step in and solve it for you with minimal downtime.
When you handle tech that requires specific expertise, several technologies are pretty narrow and something that many IT technicians may not be exposed to. In such times, having access to a tech support team that’s expert in your tech is useful.

When Do You Need Managed Services?

On the other hand, managed services are usually provided by a third-party company that specializes in IT solutions for businesses. If a business has a problem, they simply call on the managed services provider (MSP) to fix it rather than trying to troubleshoot it themselves or calling a technical IT support specialist.

Since IT managed services are an ongoing partnership with your IT consulting firm, they can help you in numerous ways. Let’s look at some situations when you need managed services:

If your systems aren’t properly maintained: Your IT infrastructure and systems require regular maintenance to ensure they’re running efficiently and securely. If they aren’t properly maintained, they can become slow, prone to crashing, or vulnerable to hacks and malware. A managed service provider will maintain all your systems so that you don’t have to worry about them crashing or getting hacked.
When you have outdated technology: If you are still using legacy hardware and software, you may need to consider IT managed services. With the rapid pace of technological change, you need help keeping up so that your business can stay relevant and competitive.
When you have plans for future growth: The right IT partner will help you plan for future growth. They will ensure that your current systems can handle the additional pressure of an expanding team or client base.
When you want to save on costs: While managed services do come with a monthly fee, businesses often save money in the long run because their technology is performing optimally at all times. By regularly maintaining your systems and infrastructure, small issues are fixed before they escalate into bigger problems that cost more to fix.

When Do You Need Managed Services?

Since IT managed services are an ongoing partnership with your IT consulting firm, they can help you in numerous ways. Let’s look at some situations when you need managed services:

If your systems aren’t properly maintained: Your IT infrastructure and systems require regular maintenance to ensure they’re running efficiently and securely. If they aren’t properly maintained, they can become slow, prone to crashing, or vulnerable to hacks and malware. A managed service provider will maintain all your systems so that you don’t have to worry about them crashing or getting hacked.
When you have outdated technology: If you are still using legacy hardware and software, you may need to consider IT managed services. With the rapid pace of technological change, you need help keeping up so that your business can stay relevant and competitive.
When you have plans for future growth: The right IT partner will help you plan for future growth. They will ensure that your current systems can handle the additional pressure of an expanding team or client base.
When you want to save on costs: While managed services do come with a monthly fee, businesses often save money in the long run because their technology is performing optimally at all times. By regularly maintaining your systems and infrastructure, small issues are fixed before they escalate into bigger problems that cost more to fix.

Want to hire an expert team to provide technical support or ongoing managed services? Reach out to our firm offering managed IT services in Corpus Christi to discuss your IT-related needs.

IT Consulting

IT Consultant vs. IT Managed Services: Which One is Better?

Written by Layer One Networks Published March 11, 2022May 12, 2023

As technology has become a more significant part of our daily lives, so has the demand for technology professionals. This is true for both large and small businesses alike.

While there are many different types of IT professionals available to work with, the two most common types are IT consultants and IT managed services. Both provide different benefits to businesses; however, they each best serve different types of organizations.

It’s important to know which type of professional service your business needs to stay productive and competitive. Here’s some helpful information about the role of an IT consultant and how they differ from IT-managed services.

How Can IT Consultant Services Help Your Business?

The role of an IT consultant is to provide strategic and technical guidance to the business. Through a series of meetings and discussions, they will figure out your business needs, what is currently lacking, and how to strategically approach those gaps.

Through IT consultant service, an outsourced expert offers technical advice to a business about maintaining their IT infrastructure and making new improvements. It can be a single person or a team of professionals who work together to provide services for their clients.

A consultant is typically hired to provide an objective opinion or advice on an issue related to their area of expertise. They’ll be able to review your current business practices and identify areas of opportunity for improvement. The recommended changes may include upgrading your current technology, implementing new systems, or streamlining processes. A consultant will typically provide guidance, assist with a project or help train employees at your company.

How Can IT Managed Services Help?

In managed IT services, a group of IT professionals works together to provide support in response to your business needs. Whether that be network maintenance, system upgrades, or simply troubleshooting a problem for you, their role is essentially to fill in the gaps of your existing team.

They ensure that their equipment, software, and systems remain up-to-date and protected from outside attacks. They offer 24/7 monitoring and maintenance support to companies throughout the year while focusing on other business matters.

Once hired, these companies will become responsible for the smooth operation of all computer systems within their client’s business. They will handle all software updates and upgrades, hardware repairs, network security, and internet connection issues as they arise. This can save you time and money to focus solely on your business operations instead of fixing tech issues all the time.

Differences Between an IT Consultant and IT Managed Services

Involvement in the Everyday IT Operations

An IT consulting firm will work with a company’s staff to understand their needs and develop a solution that meets those needs. Consultants do not get involved in the day-to-day operations of your business. They are hired to assist with long-term planning and recommend process improvements. On the other hand, managed services assist with day-to-day tasks like system monitoring, updates & maintenance, issue resolution, etc.

The role of Managed Services Providers (MSPs) is very different. MSPs are responsible for managing almost all aspects of an organization’s network. From monitoring security on the network to managing email accounts and firewalls, MSPs take care of everything IT-related. In some cases, MSPs can even provide cloud services or help with website management.

Solution for a Specific Outcome

IT consultants are often hired for a specific project or outcome (ex: create a new internal system). Once that outcome is achieved, they are no longer needed. Managed IT services come in as an ongoing support solution to tackle any issues that may arise after the project is completed by an IT consultant, as well as anything else that comes up along the way.

Cost to the Company

One major difference between the two is cost. A company won’t need to hire an IT consultant company full-time; instead, they will only be brought in when required for specific projects. This makes it easier for companies to budget for their services, as they only pay for what they need when they need it.

When Do You Need IT Consultant Service vs. Managed IT Services?

When You Have New Technologies to Implement

A managed IT service provider helps you maintain your network and servers but would not implement software or hardware systems. This is where an IT consultant can be helpful as they have deep insights into a wide range of technologies and help choose the right ones for your business.

When You Have to Conduct Specific Tasks

An IT consultant will be able to execute specific projects that you may not be able to take up due to a lack of resources or expertise within your organization, like migrating from the on-premises to the cloud or setting up a new office network.

When You Need Guidance on Specific Tech Stack

IT consultants are hired to provide temporary assistance for a specific project or problem. They can propose a solution for any issues in your business’s IT infrastructure, as well as offer guidance and support to help you get the most out of your systems — which can then be implemented by our in-house IT team.

When You Need to Evaluate Technologies

Let’s say that you want to include new software in your workflow but aren’t sure about the best choice. An IT consultant service is the best option to figure such issues out.

When You Don’t Need a Full-Time Staff

Many businesses don’t need a full-time tech staff on hand. Their technology needs are small, and they only need occasional support to keep their computer up and running.

In this case, you can make use of the managed IT services to get the work done at just a fraction of hiring an entire IT team.

When You Need Long-Term IT Assistance

Managed IT services are the better option when you need long-term help but don’t want to hire full-time employees. Managed services companies offer remote monitoring, management, proactive maintenance, and support to keep everything running smoothly without onsite staff.

Are you looking for the right IT service for Your Business?

Reach out to our experts who offer managed IT services to businesses in Corpus Christi! We have the knowledge and expertise you need to keep your business running smoothly.

Cloud Services

Complete Guide on Infrastructure As A Service

Written by Layer One Networks Published January 1, 2022May 12, 2023

Cloud computing is a buzzword for virtualized computing resources provided over the Internet, not just for storage and databases but also for processing and memory capacity.

The idea behind Cloud Computing is to provide scalable IT infrastructure on demand. Developers can utilize these resources to build applications without worrying about the underlying hardware, operating system, or software. This leads to faster development cycles.

Embracing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) for enterprise operations is a growing trend in the business world. There are many advantages to leveraging this service model, including flexibility, scalability, and cost savings.

Let’s look at the basics of IaaS, how it works and how beneficial it can be for your business.

What is IaaS?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud computing service model that provides virtualized computing resources over the Internet. IaaS enables a customer to access virtual servers, storage, and networking capabilities provided by the service provider. This provides greater flexibility and scalability than traditional hardware or software platforms. Since everything is in the cloud, it can scale up and down to meet customers’ needs. It can also scale up and down quickly in response to changing capacity requirements.

IaaS is a subset of cloud computing that provides virtualized resources rather than physical machines or virtual machine instances. The consumer’s computing hardware or software is abstracted and hidden from the provider, who delivers operating systems, networks, and storage over the Internet. Unlike platform as a service (PaaS), IaaS typically allows users to install their software on the provided infrastructure.

IaaS is an umbrella term for services based on cloud computing that offer scalable and elastic computing capabilities. IaaS provides users access to the hardware and software resources via the Internet. Users can provide virtual resources to their applications or use the available infrastructure for deploying their applications.

IaaS provides a virtual computing environment to client organizations that can rent it monthly.

How Beneficial is IaaS to Your Business?

Affordable:

The main benefit of IaaS is that it is cost-effective. You don’t need to invest in hardware. All you need to do is rent the hardware from a cloud hosting service provider. So, this means that you will be able to save a lot of money which can be used for other purposes. Plus, you only need to pay for the resources you need and can scale up or down as needed.

Its flexibility enables you to change your infrastructure requirements quickly and efficiently as per your business needs. This means that you don’t have to worry about high capital costs and high operational costs, so this will also help you save a lot.

Maintenance-Free:

IaaS reduces the efforts needed by businesses in managing IT services. Companies can focus on their core operations while the IaaS provider maintains the hardware and networks.

Simple Disaster Recovery:

With cloud disaster recovery plans, your business doesn’t have to relocate its entire IT infrastructure in case of an emergency – just whatever parts are required for business continuity. This reduces downtime and frees up capital that would have been used for purchasing new hardware. You can always leverage backup as a service to protect your business even when the uneventful happens.

Easy Accessibility:

It is easy to access whatever software or service you need, wherever you may be located with cloud computing.

All you need is an internet connection to connect with their servers and access the programs from any location. This makes it easier for organizations that have employees who travel a lot as they no longer have to carry around discs with them everywhere they go. Instead, they can simply log in to their account using their smartphone or other mobile devices whenever they need to access important information.

10 Questions to Ask When Choosing an IaaS Provider

Foundations exist to provide a structural framework that supports complex and sophisticated projects quickly and cost-effectively. The same can be said of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), where it provides a foundation for developing applications quickly and easily.

Truly, IaaS is designed to support the ever-expanding business requirements of users across the globe, providing them with complete flexibility to choose what works best for their business processes. It is this flexibility that makes this service such a highly sought-after commodity in today’s cloud technology marketplace, but what separates one provider from another?

Finding the right IaaS partner for your business can be pretty confusing. But there are some essential questions you need to ask before you decide.

How quickly does the IT support specialist respond to requests for assistance?
What kind of track record does it have in meeting service level agreements (SLAs) with its customers?
How often do outages occur, and how long do they last when they do occur?
How much flexibility do you have with your server configurations?
Can you create VMs with specific OS or programming languages installed?
Will the provider allow you to modify your server settings to optimize performance, security, or other factors?
How much administrative control do you have over your server environment?
Are there any hidden fees you should be aware of?
What type of system integrations do they offer?
How do they handle backup and recovery?

Wrapping Up

Many businesses choose IaaS because they require high-performance solutions customized to their business needs at affordable rates.

Hopefully, this guide will help you better understand the basics of IaaS solutions so that you can make the best choice for your business and your IT needs.

Have any more questions? Reach out to our experts at our IT consulting firm now. We offer IT consultant services and managed IT services for SMBs and enterprises to help them figure out the best way to leverage the benefits of IaaS for their business.

Call us at (361)-653-6800 to contact our IT consulting firm.