Tag: IT consulting firm

Ultimate Guide on Data Security
Security

Ultimate Guide on Data Security

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Your IT systems are no longer safe unless you have strong data security measures in place. 

Data security has become more than a legal obligation to follow a bunch of compliances. When the security of your customer’s sensitive information is threatened, it’s time to take a step back and analyze what you can do to improve safety.

The data threats can be of any form: data loss through cyberattacks, phishing collection of personal information, virus attack, or insider theft. You can strengthen data security by enforcing strict access controls, protocols, strong firewalls, and antivirus and antimalware protection systems.

This blog will take you through various things you need to know to improve your data security.

The Importance of Data Security

Before you look into the details of what data security means and how you can enhance it, let’s start by analyzing the main concerns: Data security is defined as the laws and regulations that ensure the safety of people’s personal information (e.g., credit cards) and information systems in various business, medical, and technical fields. It’s time to think of data security as a responsibility and not a means to comply with regulations. 

You have data from users, end-users, and business partners, all of which contain private and sensitive data. Before choosing any third-party service provider, let’s break down each type of information and what you need to know. 

End-User Data: They include information such as identity and authentication details, geo-locations, credit card information, bank details, phone numbers, etc. These may be maintained internally but will often leak to another party. 

Application Data: This is the code that runs on your computer. For instance, when a website requests a particular piece of information on your computer, this is what you are typing in.

When such data is hacked, it can threaten the very foundation of your business and, at the least, lose your customers’ trust. This is why you need to give the most to such data.

Ultimate Guide on Data Security

Reasons for Weak Data Security

The main reason for weak data security is human error. Your employees may accidentally click on an insecure link or email attachment that contains malware. Other possible causes include lack of training, lack of control on employees, weakly trained staff, and employees who have a poor understanding of network administration. 

If this sounds like your environment, start doing these three things: 

  • Add passwords to every new login. This way, when a user gets a password for a new account, they won’t reuse the same password. 
  • Install virus protection and antivirus software on all computers and mobile devices. 
  • Don’t email sensitive or confidential information to any external sources. That includes emails, text messages, and social media platforms.

How to Improve the Data Security

An effective data security system takes an in-depth look at data and its security needs while changing data processing systems or building new ones. Here are some of the ways to improve your data security.

  • 1. Create Strong Passwords

With the increasing usage of mobile apps, password leaks have been a frequent occurrence. It’s unfortunate, but passwords are one of the weakest links to protect our data, exposed more than 30,000 times per day, according to SplashData. We are all guilty of not changing our passwords often enough. This is because most people do not make a conscious effort to change their passwords often enough, or even at all.

The damage can be difficult to recognize and stop. However, there are steps we can take to improve the situation. The first step is not to use a shared password. 

  • 2. Set Up Firewalls

Your firewall’s purpose is to stop unauthorized devices from accessing network resources and the internet. Make sure you have enabled port forwarding for all your access points to ensure the best results. This allows port forwarding for critical destinations to work. 

You can specify the port ranges in which access to these destinations is allowed. 

  • 3. Enable Access Controls

Using Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions, SSO is a secure system in which one login system can provide you with multiple access points such as web, mail, data, and so on. It is an easier way to protect data and grant access to authorized users. You can create multiple accounts for each of your employees. You can also configure password management systems for each of these accounts.

  • 4. Create Encryption

Encrypting your data helps ensure that nobody can access and misuse the data stored on your systems, even if they get their hands on it. You can use standard encryption to add“secret” information into a file, creating a code that a person cannot read without the appropriate decryption key. And you can also simply enable 2FA for your login attempts.

Wrapping Up

Data security is no longer about whether or not you’re complying with rules. Instead, it’s if you’re implementing a security approach that a knowledgeable insider or hacker can’t circumvent.

Being hacked often happens because a person or company is unaware or uneducated about some rudimentary security protocols. Educate your employees to adopt the right security practices to keep your organization safe.

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IT Security
Security

IT Security vs. IT Compliance: What is the Difference?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Is there any difference between IT security and IT compliance?

This is often one of the common doubts many get when talking about securing their IT systems.

IT security and IT compliance both have to deal with protecting the information. But that’s where the similarities stop. There are quite a lot of differences between what goes on in IT security and IT compliance.

But, for some IT professionals, both terms are interchangeable, and their differences get blurred. This blog specifically sheds light on what constitutes IT security and IT compliance and the differences between them both.

What is IT Security?

IT Security vs. IT Compliance: What is the Difference?

IT security is needed to prevent attacks from malicious sources and protect our IT systems. IT security is also about minimizing the damage in the event of an unstoppable attack and ensuring that sensitive information is kept safe.

While the explanation seems simple, the process behind IT security is not. There are many ways through which hackers can gain access to our IT systems, and IT security professionals need to predict and enforce firewalls to prevent them.

At LayerOne Networks, we provide security services for companies in Corpus Christi and use a combination of IT security practices to keep the security systems updated. We use a set of automated tools, security kits, and manual processes wherever needed to conduct regular audits and tests to reinforce and strengthen IT security.

What is IT Compliance?

IT Security vs. IT Compliance: What is the Difference?

IT compliance is the need to follow a specific set of regulations based on third-party requirements. While there’s no direct motivation for IT compliance, like IT security, failure to meet the compliance needs can have serious repercussions.

IT compliance helps maintain a standard of security for the users by enforcing specialized IT security practices. Usually, IT compliance is mandated by:

  • Government
  • Client contract 
  • Industry-specific regulations and standards

For example, healthcare companies need to follow HIPAA compliance for all of their IT systems to maintain the data security of the patient’s information.

Similarly, there are various other industry standards that every business needs to follow. Moreover, adhering to the standards of compliance will also serve as a plus point for client acquisition. 

Our IT consulting firm has helped many companies to understand such compliance needs and adhere to them. We analyze such mandatory IT compliances for a business and assist them to be in line with them all.

What’s the difference between IT security & IT compliance?

IT compliance is fixed when compared to IT security. With IT compliance, you’ll need to follow all the particulars in the industry, government, and contract compliance. You don’t need to go out of your way to come up with novel ideas for it.

However, IT security is entirely flexible based on your business needs, budget, and capability. You can exercise any amount of cybersecurity as much as you need to keep your information protected. You’ll look at the security of your system from different points of view and analyze the best way to maximize data security.

Let’s compare the difference with the actual processes of IT security and IT compliance.

3 Different ways to improve IT security

Most hackers try to gain access to an IT system in 3 common ways:

  • Networks: There are network security tools and firewalls that we can install to fortify the networks. It can prevent hackers from attacking the system and quickly rely on the hacking attempt by security professionals.
  • People: One of the most common ways hackers try to crack an IT system is through the people. The employees may carelessly click on malicious links or open websites through which the malware gets installed, gains all the login information, and sends it to the hacker. To prevent it, we need to conduct regular IT security seminars to warn people against such hacking attempts.
  • Devices: The physical devices we carry may be prone to phishing attacks. There is specific software we need to install and conduct regular screening to prevent such types of attacks.

3 Different ways to follow IT compliance

Here are some common IT compliance frameworks that many companies need to adhere to:

  • SOX ( Sarbanes-Oxley Act) is required to maintain the financial data of public companies. It has several requirements for maintaining, destroying, and altering the data.
  • PCI DSS compliance stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. It is created for maintaining financial information by using secured networks, different levels of access, and testing. 
  • ISO 27000 is a standard that certifies companies that follow certain high levels of security. It outlines how a company should approach and follow information security management. While this isn’t mandatory, companies that follow ISO 27000 have an edge in clients’ eyes over those who don’t.

Striking a balance between IT security & IT compliance

When we look at it closely, IT compliance is often seen as a mandatory one where we can do the minimum and get by. This is where IT security complements compliance and adds to the protection of IT systems.

Every organization requires robust security systems, multi-layered defense protocols, and IT security training sessions. We can use compliance to find the gap in IT security and further increase the protection with advanced security systems and tools.

IT compliance establishes the foundation of IT security, and with further protection measures, we can ensure that your IT infrastructure is kept safe at all times. 

With the new improvements in technology, it’s becoming challenging for organizations to keep up with the latest hacking techniques and update their IT security. This is where our IT consulting firm is of the best use.

With our managed IT services focused specifically on IT security and compliance, we can keep your entire IT ecosystem secure. Reach out to us at (361)653-6800 to discuss your IT security needs in detail.

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An Ultimate Guide on Two-factor Authentication (2FA) for Small Business
Security

An Ultimate Guide on Two-factor Authentication (2FA) for Small Business

Written by Layer One Networks Published

There are so many things for a small business owner to juggle — everyday operations, new improvements, and employee management are just the tip of the iceberg.

Add to it the scare of IT security, and the whole thing becomes all the more difficult.

Small businesses are more prone to hacking attempts. In fact, 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses. While this statistic may scare any small business owner, there are so many things that you can do to reinforce security — and at no additional cost.

And one of such essential security measures you need to employ is two-factor authentication, commonly known as 2FA.

What is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)?

Most online platforms are offering 2FA now. Right from Gmail to cryptocurrency exchanges, 2FA has added an extra layer of security and prevented many hacking attempts. If you want to strengthen your protection further, you can enforce zero-force security.

But if you want to start small and slowly add more layers to your data security, then the very first thing you need to enable is 2FA.

2FA is the next level of authentication after verifying your login details. Even if the hacker knows your username and password, 2FA can still stop the hacker from accessing your account.

How Can a 2FA Look Like?

An Ultimate Guide on Two-factor Authentication (2FA) for Small Business

Every platform offers a certain type of two-factor authentication. For example, when you log in to your Google account and enable 2FA, you’ll receive a notification to confirm the login from a new location on your registered smartphone. 

But this is not the only form of 2FA.

A 2FA can be:

  • A security question
  • An instant security number
  • A pre-created pin or security question
  • A fingerprint scanner on your smartphones

While these types of 2FAs can be found commonly on many online platforms, there are also physical forms of 2FA like a card or a key. This is best for physical storage locations of sensitive data or products.

It’s highly advisable that you enable 2FA on the common platforms you use for your small business. If you’re unsure of enabling 2FA on any online platforms, you can reach out to your IT service provider or any other reliable IT consulting firm to help out.

4 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs 2FA

Every small business needs 2FA, but why? Because there are no drawbacks and lots of advantages. Here are some prime reasons why you need to enable 2FA for your small business right now.

  • You Need to Keep Your Sensitive Information Safe

Can you imagine the repercussions if your sensitive information, including customer’s data, falls into the wrong hands?

This one incident could very well lead to the derailing of your small business. When you don’t want such unfortunate situations to happen, you need to add as much security as possible to your critical platforms. This includes any cloud storage you’re using, your email account, CRM, online banking, and other platforms where you share or store important data.

  • You Need to Give The Hackers a Hard Fight

Let’s face the truth. It’s become very easy for hackers to use malware to access all our usernames and passwords. If there’s one thing that can stop them and give them a hard fight, it is the 2FA. 

If your platforms allow you to get notified of logins from new devices, it’s vital that you enable them. This way, you can be informed when someone tries to hack your account and quickly take steps to prevent it.

  • You Have Nothing to Lose Since it’s Free!

While many other managed IT services and security solutions may cost you at least some money, there’s no investment to use 2FA on online platforms. All you need to do is enable 2FA, test it once, and be assured that you’ve added an extra layer of security. You don’t have anything to lose!

  • You Don’t Need to Spend Time to Implement 2FA

Now that we’ve cleared that it’s free, the next question you may ask is, ‘Should I spend a long time on 2FA?’ Not at all!

It’s as simple as clicking a button on and off. You can switch off 2FA anytime you need, of course, with some password protection and verification. But you still have complete control over your 2FA. You just need to make sure to remember the type of 2FA you’ve enabled and remember it.

Wrapping Up

As a small business starting, you don’t need to pour tons of money for your data security. With just a few simple steps free of cost, you can ensure an additional level of security — with no strings attached.

If you still haven’t enabled 2FA for your critical applications, then it’s high time you do it. It can make all the difference between a successful hacking or a failed attempt.

If you’re looking for additional security than 2FA, then you can reach out to our company offering security service in Corpus Christi. Layer One Networks is a popular IT consulting firm specializing in managed IT services and IT security. You can reach out to us now to know more about our cost-effective security solutions for small businesses.

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Malware
Security

Ransomware Vs. Malware: What is More Dangerous?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

At a time when businesses are under threat from cybersecurity issues, you can never be too cautious.

Online security threats are everywhere — from the emails we open to the WiFi networks we connect. And with businesses depending on online tools and communication, we need to be careful more than ever to prevent ourselves from attacks. This is why everyone needs to be aware of the different cyber threats and what it means for businesses. 

Among the popular cyber issues, ransomware and malware are some of the most common ones used interchangeably. 

In this blog, our security experts from our IT consulting firm shed light on the differences between ransomware and malware and analyze which of these is the most dangerous.

What Is Malware?

Malware is software or a tool that has malicious intentions—many of the current cybersecurity hacks and threats we find come under the category of malware.

Usually, the hacker tricks you into installing this malware on your system by clicking on a trustworthy link or gaining access to your login details. Once this malware is installed, it can monitor all the actions you do on the system, record, and send it to another server accessible by the hacker.

The typical examples of malware are viruses, worms, spyware, adware, crypto-jacking, and spambots. Every malware is designed to do a specific job as needed by the hacker.

What Is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that gets access to a system and asks for a ransom in exchange for giving access. Usually, the ransomware software gets installed on a system with phishing attacks.

A ransomware software can access the credentials, files, share them to another location, set up a ransom, and demand payment. One of the main issues with ransomware is that the hacker threatens to leak confidential information if the ransom isn’t paid. 

Which Is More Dangerous: Ransomware or Malware?

Ransomware vs. Malware: What Is More Dangerous?

First of all, we need to understand that there are certain degrees of danger to either form of hacking based on the security and the sensitiveness of the accessed files. To understand which can do more harm, we need to know how different they are.

Basic Working

Before we consider how malware and ransomware are different, let’s first understand how much they differ in the way of operations.

Most malware will try to replicate the files on the system and share them with the hacker. It also copies itself from file to file, corrupting the files in the process and gaining access to the information.

Ransomware is entirely different. Once ransomware gets installed, it prevents access to the system using high-security features. The ransomware will be removed after the payment is fulfilled.

Level of Access

Let’s consider the amount of access both of these cyberthreats have. In the case of malware, while it can access information up to a level and even slow down the system’s performance, it cannot destroy a business.

On the other hand, we have seen several actual companies shutting down after being attacked by ransomware. So, in terms of access and impact, ransomware is more threatening than most other malware.

Method of Protection and Removal

Protecting your systems against different types of malware, including ransomware, is done by installing anti-virus and anti-malware protection solutions. The company employees who have access to sensitive information should avoid clicking on suspicious links and becoming victims of phishing attacks.

While the protection for both ransomware and malware is similar, the ease with which we remove this malware once it gains access to a system is different. While we can try to remove other types of malware by using software, it’s hard to do the same with ransomware. Only when the payment is fulfilled can the ransomware be removed.

Identification 

When a system is infected with malware, it can be hard to identify it. The malware doesn’t make itself known, and you can only detect it using the anti-virus programs and suspect when your system’s performance is slowing down. If it’s mild malware, you can reconfigure the operating system to get rid of it. Or, you can implement a disaster recovery program to salvage some of the damage.

However, in the case of ransomware, the ransomware will make itself known soon after it has infected a system by blocking your access. So there’s very little you can do when the damage is already done other than to pay up.

When we compare these different levels of impacts of both malware and ransomware, we see that ransomware can do more damage than ransomware since ransomware is almost always brutal.

How Can You Protect Yourself from Malware and Ransomware?

If you’re wondering how you can prevent any cybersecurity issue from happening, then you need to be critical of the protection programs you have in place. Apart from using software and tools to run regular security checks, it would help if you got a good data security team to help you increase security.

Layer One Networks is an experienced IT consulting firm offering security services for businesses in Corpus Christi. With our security IT services, we help businesses increase their protection from such malicious software and keep their information safe. If you’re looking for an experienced team to help you out, then reach out to us now.

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How To Do Penetration Testing
Security

How to Do Penetration Testing?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Did you know that many of the hacking incidents could’ve been avoided by proper penetration testing?

When you want to know how vulnerable your system is, the IT team goes for penetration testing. It’s also known as pen testing or ethical hacking in the colloquial language.

As a part of the penetration testing, the IT team tries to break down their defense using various techniques and new technologies. Such tests are vital for any organization to understand where they stand in data security and prepare for the following steps to amp it up.

In this blog, we’ll learn about the basics of performing penetration testing and the step-by-step procedure.

What Happens in Penetration Testing?

How To Do Penetration Testing?

There’s no one way of conducting penetration testing simply because there’s no one way that hackers use to gain access. So the security team or the IT consulting firm performing the testing should think outside the box about the possible ways of attacks to the infrastructure.

So, in penetration testing, you can either test through individual applications, IT applications, standalone systems, servers, or networks or through the base of the IT infrastructure as a whole. The security team then identifies the weak points in the system that can make your entire IT infrastructure vulnerable.

Usually, the testers will sit down with the official website, platforms you commonly use, or your IP addresses and break down the firewall. This may range from gaining access by obtaining a password from any employee to running complex hacking algorithms.

There are several types of penetration tests:

  • Wireless testing
  • Internal and external testing
  • Blind testing
  • Social engineering
  • Physical testing
  • Targeted testing
  • Double-blind testing

Since the threat can come from any side and in any way, the testers need to be thorough about the different points of access to the systems and conduct pen testing through all of it. This should be performed regularly to make sure that there aren’t any new loopholes coming up. You can hire an expert IT consulting firm providing security services to help you out.

5 Step Process in a Penetration Testing

How To Do Penetration Testing?

Step 1: Understanding the Test Expectations

In a penetration test, there are several ways to go about it. While this is strictly a white hat practice, we need to venture into the gray or black hat practices to look at the vulnerabilities from the hacker’s perspective. From these black and gray hat tests, you’ll most likely identify the external vulnerabilities. 

Step 2: Setting Limits

While you’re planning the pen testing, you may also want to set the limitations of the test. For example, do you want the testers only to identify the vulnerable points of entry, or do you want them to gain access to your data?

Setting such boundaries for your testing will give a structure for the testers based on your current conditions.

Step 3: Reconnaissance

This is where you get down the nitty-gritty details of the test. You’ll consider the types of tests you’ll be performing, the systems, and the trouble points that need to be addressed. You’ll also be gathering the basic details of the target like domain names, IP addresses, and other important information you can collect.

Essentially, you’ll be collecting data to breach the network.

Read More: How to Prevent Data Security Breaches

Step 4: System Breach Attempt

With the information you’ve collected in the previous step, you’ll put them to action. You can use any software or write any custom scripts to gain access to the internal information.

There may also be some technical discovery during the survey that indicates weakness in a particular area. The tester can attack this weakness through several hacking methods and try to gain access.

If the testing team cannot find any vulnerabilities during the survey, they may resort to getting the username and password through phishing attacks and social engineering.

Once the tester has gained access to the system, there are two ways to go based on the initial requirements. They can either mark it as a point of vulnerability or gain access, retain access and check how long it can sustain.

Step 5: Analysis of the Test

Once the testing team has completed the pen test, the last thing is to collate the findings. This will be:

  • A list of vulnerabilities, 
  • The amount of sensitive data accessed,
  • The time is taken for the system to respond to the threat,
  • The duration the tester was able to retain access without detection, and
  • The following steps to prevent them.

Once you’ve identified the vulnerabilities, you can quickly go about fixing them with the help of your IT team and prevent hacking attacks. You can strengthen your firewalls, implement zero-trust security, enforce new security practices for your employees and increase your overall data security.

Conclusion 

When you think about the volume of work an IT team has to do to conduct this test and take steps to increase security, it’s overwhelming. This is when you can look for the guidance of an experienced security team from an IT consulting firm.

Layer One Networks is one of the most trusted IT consulting firms offering security services in Corpus Christi. From managed services to enforcing high-security features for your IT infrastructure, we provide a broadband of IT services to ramp your team’s productivity. Reach out to us now to discuss more details.

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Business Security
data security services

Importance of Zero Trust Security for Your Business

Written by Layer One Networks Published

The way in which businesses operate today is a far cry from what it was a couple of years back. The hard truth? The information is no longer as secure as we thought it was.

With so many hacking attempts and everyday news of security breaches, it’s becoming harder to trust any person or technology. In other words, zero trust sounds like the best idea.

This forms the crux of zero trust security, where every person or access is considered hostile until proven otherwise. This zero trust notion was first introduced in a paper in 2010 by John Kindervag from Forrester Research. Soon the term caught on, considering the volatile and technologically advanced world we’re living in.

A zero trust solution for data security essentially means that every request isn’t trusted until it’s verified. And this happens every single time a user tries to gain access or sends a request. So, why should you consider zero trust security for your business? Let’s find out.

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Zero Trust Security

At LayerOne Networks, our security experts have implemented zero trust security systems for some of our clients. In this blog, we’ll explain why you need to include zero trust security as a part of your managed IT services. 

1. You Need Additional Protection for Integration with Third-Party Services

Many times, we tend to link our software with other third-party applications to improve productivity. Or, we use multiple tools to build an application. For example, software developers may use third-party services for logging, authentication, and other similar needs. So, in the end, even a single software may have a host of different applications that have access to the information.

This is when zero trust security plays a crucial role. When every single request passing through the application is verified, we can prevent access or attacks from happening through these third parties. 

2. You Get Complete Visibility into the Logins

The zero trust security works with the notion that the system is already compromised and has to verify every action. While it acts on the process of verification, it never trusts anything. 

So, the visibility of the traffic to the application plays a central role in the security. Every single network log, access, the location of the access, and other details are recorded. The security team can monitor these movements of data and the login details for every single one of the users.

You can also use this data to analyze the attacks or attempts of hacking to pinpoint the exact location, user, and nature. One important point to note here is that zero trust security also monitors the DNS traffic, which is usually unchecked in traditional systems. This helps to avoid unauthorized data access and predict exfiltration.

3. You Need to Maintain Data Security Even with the Remote Work Culture

Ever since the pandemic hit us more than 18 months back, the remote work culture has become a norm. Many companies have permanently allowed for WFH, while some are still in the transitional stage. 

If you have some of your employees working from home, we have to realize that their home networks wouldn’t be as secure as our office networks. It is easier to hack into your enterprise using the home networks.

Zero trust security becomes helpful in such cases since it already considers that the threat is in. It suspects every single request and interaction to and from the application, which means it can stop and verify new instances of request from the WFH employees and prevent any security attacks.

Data Security

4. You Can Reduce Your Vulnerability

Let’s face it. Every organization that has some amount of dependency on online tools and applications is prone to cyberattacks. And we also have lots of vendors, external service providers, and freelancers that have access to our network. So when you’re switching IT providers or moving to new freelancers, they may still have access even after they’ve stopped working for your business.

When there’s something you can do to minimize your vulnerability and increase your security, it’s essential to consider it. Otherwise, you can’t imagine the consequences of your customers’ sensitive information and operational data falling into the wrong hands.

Zero trust security disallows application access until the user can positively prove their identity. It analyzes the way the device or the user is communicating, the network through which they’re communicating, and puts them through various authorizations to verify them.

Every communication through the application is checked for malicious attacks, which means your business operations will be better protected than most other security systems.

5. You Can Minimize the Security Tech Stacks

As more and more cyberthreats are cropping up and hackers are coming up with new ways to gain access or threaten organizations, the security stacks that are needed to protect ourselves have also increased. So when you want the manpower to implement so many of these tech stacks, you need to hire a big security team to build and manage them. 

But with zero trust security, you can do away with most of the security tech stacks and replace them with a single device in the cloud that monitors every piece of communication. You can minimize the complexity of the projects and the technologies needed and to save on employee costs.

Wrapping Up

In today’s distributed organization, the importance of data security has increased by folds. Zero trust security can reduce your vulnerabilities and improve data protection through the application. 

LayerOne Networks is one of the top IT consulting firms offering managed IT services, data security solutions, and IT consulting services. If you have a business in Corpus Christi and are searching for ‘IT services near me,’ then reach out to us now.

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Reason to use of managed IT services & boost business in 2021
Managed IT Services

Reason to Use of Managed IT Services & Boost Business in 2021

Written by Layer One Networks Published

2020 threw us a curveball and many of us were left scrambling to sustain our business in the new face of uncertainty. 

2021 brought in a lot of hope and opportunities with learnings from 2020. We’re presently at this crucial point in the industry where adapting to new technology and finding better ways to manage our IT systems can make a whole lot of difference.

This is when we need to make a decision — the best way for managed IT services to position for business growth.

In this blog, we’ll look at various reasons and ways to hire managed IT services to survive in the new normal in 2021 and accelerate your business development.

4 Reasons Says You Need Managed IT Services

The need for managed IT services is steadily increasing. In 2019, the global market size of managed IT services was $185 billion, while in 2020, it hit $207 billion. In five years, it’s expected to grow to over $356 billion.

Cloud Computing

This increase in the market size of managed IT services shows the demand it has.

There are so many reasons why companies look for managed IT services from external firms. As a top IT consulting firm, LayerOne Networks has worked with several businesses providing custom IT services to manage their business and remove bottlenecks. 

So, are there any specific reasons or situations when you need an IT service provider’s help? Yes, there is.

Reason 1: When You’re Risking Overrunning Your IT Costs

It’s a good thing when your business grows. But your IT system should also be capable of growing and accommodating that development.

When you don’t have a large budget for IT system management or when you’re registering unprecedented growth and you’re quickly overrunning your IT budget, then it’s a sign that you’re headed for some serious damages.

There are only two ways to go from here. One is to update your IT system quickly and invest loads of money in resources, technology, and workforce to compensate for the new needs. Or, you can hire an IT consulting firm that already can supply you with the workforce and technology to handle your current and future needs. 

The latter can be achieved with less budget and less accountability, while the former needs a heavy budget and lots of time to create such a system. 

This is when many companies go for managed IT service providers to make the work simpler and better with the best resources.

Reason 2: When You Want Your IT Infrastructure to Be in Its Best Shape

Installing a hi-tech IT system is only the start of the job. You need to constantly update it, maintain it and modify it to adapt to the changing business needs. 

And when your system is becoming outdated or not maintained adequately, it can run into several technical issues, all of which would deter your business operations.

Hiring an IT service provider to manage your IT infrastructure will make sure that your systems are always healthy and ready to manage your rising volume of IT operations. You wouldn’t ever have to worry about the capacity of your IT system when you’re planning a new business move. The IT consulting firm will take care of the expansions on the IT side while taking care of the rest.

IT Services Near Me

Reason 3: When You Want to Stay Ahead of Your Competitors

There’s barely any industry right now that’s not influenced by technology. From agriculture to teaching, technologies have taken over the progress and innovation.

So one of the best ways for companies to be at the top of their market is to be technologically advanced. And this is only possible with intelligent IT systems that can propel your business forward and implement new initiatives to stay ahead.

Having a reliable and experienced firm offering managed IT services would mean that you’ll always be kept informed of the new tech trends in your industry and how you can implement them fast before your competitors do.

Reason 4: When You Want to Minimize the Hassles of IT Management

As we discussed earlier, when your business grows, you need to keep hiring a bigger team to manage your IT needs. This would mean constant changes to the IT department in terms of employees, tools and technology. All of this takes a lot of money and, most importantly, your time.

If you want to focus on your core business objectives, you can do away with all of this work and just outsource to a local firm that can manage your IT needs as and when that happens. So, all you need to do is communicate your plans and your idea and the team can help you come up with the right technologies needed.

How to Choose the Right Provider for Managed IT Services in 2021?

Since the landscape of IT services are changing, you need a team that is:

  • Experienced enough to handle any complications.
  • Updated enough to keep you abreast of the industry tech changes.
  • Certified enough to provide you with IT services that are tangential to the current needs.
  • Resourceful enough to help you create backups and store your data securely .
  • Flexible enough to change with your business dynamics.
  • Skilled enough to manage any complications in the IT system and resolve them swiftly. 
  • Reliable enough to take charge and pitch in during emergencies. 

Conclusion

Getting the help of IT managed services for your business is the best way to handle your IT needs, prepare your business for future growth and position yourself at the top of the industry. Make sure to be aware of when you require the support of managed IT services and hire them before the critical point arises.

LayerOne Networks offers managed IT services in Corpus Christi. Reach out to us if you want to grow your IT system to support your business ideas.

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Managed IT Services
Security

Stop Ransomware with Effective Backups

Written by Layer One Networks Published

It’s no news that ransomware is becoming one of the top issues in data security.

Ransomware is almost impossible to trace and so, once the hackers gain access, there’s very little we can do to restore without paying the ransom. Since it can potentially bring the organization down, many give in to the ransom demands.

So then, how can you stop the ransomware from wrecking your organization and gain access to sensitive information? Let’s find out.

What Can You Do in Times of a Ransomware Attack?

Stop Ransomware with Effective Backups

There are a few things you can do when you have become the victim of a ransomware attack.

  • You can take the matters in your hands and try to crack the ransomware code, delete it and save your information. This is the rarest solution. You will have to use a malware detection tool to find out the source of the attack and delete those files and leave the encrypted files out of it.
  • You can bring matters to the attention of law enforcement officials. The cyber cell would’ve seen many such instances of ransomware attacks and can, therefore, give you great pointers to handle the situation.
  • You can get an external agency to help you, like an IT consulting firm or a company specialized in ransomware prevention.
  • You can plug out the infected computers from the network and prevent the ransomware from spreading to the other systems. 

In many situations where you handle ransomware attacks, you would often be compelled to delete your computer’s information. So, what would happen when you lose out all your essential data?

This is when having a data backup pays off.

Protecting Your Important Data from Ransomware Attacks with Backups

At LayerOne Networks, we’ve seen many companies manage such cyberattacks in the best way possible due to our managed backup services. When you have all your essential information backed up, you needn’t worry about losing these data in the time of a ransomware attack, or for that matter any cybersecurity threat.

Our backup as a service (BaaS) will help you to create a foolproof strategy to keep your sensitive information safe and away from the hands of the hackers. Here are a few important tips to protect yourself from ransomware attacks.

  • Go by the 3-2-1 Backup Plan

This is one of the most effective and proven backup strategies that has been used over and over by many companies.

What is the 3-2-1 backup plan?

  • Have 3 copies of data; one is your main data storage while the two more are backups.
  • Have two different types of media storage.
  • Have one offsite backup storage.

When you have your data on two separate backups, both of which are in different formats and locations, you have high chances of accessing and restoring the information even when you’re attacked.

The offsite backup should be saved in a location that isn’t anywhere near your office. This is to ensure that your backup will still be safe in the events of any physical calamities.

  • Keep Your Backup Separate from the Main Network

If you want to protect the backup during a ransomware attack, you shouldn’t save your backup on the main network. This is one of the very first things you must take care of. 

In any cyberattack, the virus tries to branch out more to the other storages in the network. So when you have your main storage unit as well as the backup storage in the same network, it can lead to adverse consequences like losing all of your data, including the ones in the backup.

So always make sure to save your backup data in a separate network.

  • Provide Sufficient Recovery Points 

Backup Server

Generally, when you want to recover the data from backup storage, you should be able to access it in the same state it was in before the attack. However, in the worst case that your backup is also affected by the virus, you need to position numerous recovery points through which you can restore and access data at previous stages.

You can ask your IT consulting firm to provide multiple storage blocks and create a storage memory that can’t be altered once the value is set.

  • Implement High Security for the Backup Server

This is an area that many organizations avoid. While you enforce maximum security possible for your main server, you should also give equal importance to the backup server.

Why so? The hackers generally do not know what a particular server is until they hack it. They go by the server which is most easy to crack. And when your backup server doesn’t have high security than the main server, it’s more prone to be attacked. 

There have been many instances in the past where ransomware targeted backup files like the Ryuk ransomware.

  • Backup Often

The backup frequency will determine the data you can access if you’re attacked by a ransomware. When you’re backing up the data once in a few weeks, you’ll lose out on loads of work that you’ve done during those weeks. 

Depending on the importance of your work, increase the backup time to at least once in a few hours to make sure that your recent work is saved and kept safe.

Read More: Ransomware Vs. Malware: What is More Dangerous?

Summing Up

While there are several security measures to prevent the ransomware attacks, it’s best to always have a backup plan.

  • Follow the 3-2-1 plan for a multi-layered backup.
  • Your backup storage should be on a  separate server and should have multiple recovery points.
  • You should enforce high security for the backup plan to prevent the backups from getting attacked.
  • Make sure to increase the frequency of your backup to save your recently worked data.

If you’re looking to hire an experienced company providing managed IT services in Corpus Christi, then reach out to us now. Our IT experts will help you decide the best strategy for backing up your important data and protect it even during ransomware attacks.

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Managed Backup Services
Disaster Recovery

How Managed Backup Solves an Important Challenge?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

You have a backup when your primary system fails. But what happens when there’s a problem with your backup?

Every company has some sensitive data or the other to store. Even when you have a strong data storage system in place, it’s crucial to have equally robust managed backup services in times when the worst happens. 

This backup is the last line of defense for every company that relies on data. But what happens when your backup system fails?

If you don’t want such an adverse incident to occur, then you’ve to reinforce your backup strategy in such a way that there aren’t any loopholes. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the backup challenges and how you can handle them.

5 Data Backup Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Many IT consulting firms provide data backup solutions. But to make sure that you have a foolproof backup plan, you need to know all the ins and outs there’s to know about managed backup services.

Our experts at LayerOne Networks have provided Backup as a Service to many SMBs and large organizations. With their experience, we’re tapping into the backup challenges and the best ways to handle them.

  • 1. What to do when your backup gets corrupted?

Managed backups

Well, this is one scary nightmare for companies. When the backup gets corrupted, you can completely lose your entire data, especially if your primary storage has also let you down.

This generally happens due to multiple reasons: poor handling of the data, the backup has been outdated, the media stored on the backup is damaged and spoils the entire system or any other reason.

Solution: When such a thing happens, you can try to recover data and may be successful in partly recovering some data. But you may not know which data can be recovered. And sometimes, even the recovered files may not be enough to run applications. 

In such cases, you can make multiple copies of the critical data and store it on different sites. You can also use smart applications to ensure the transfer of secure data.

There’s another rare case where the backup gets damaged if it’s stored in an offsite location. It’s best to go for onsite backup solutions that are much safer than offsite backup storage.

  • 2. What to Do When the Backup Hasn’t Been Initiated?

This is a mistake many do when they’re new to the concept of backup. This usually happens when you decide to manually backup the data whenever you need. And sometimes, when you forget to do that, you can lose important information.

Solution: Every backup service provider offers automated scheduling of the backups. So make the most of it and schedule backup to run at regular intervals. This will easily solve this problem.

  • 3. What to Do When Your Backup is Incomplete?

So, your main storage fails for some reason. And when you open your backup, you realize that only a part of the files is stored. So, what’s the reason for incomplete backup?

This may happen when the system got interrupted as it was uploading to the backup storage and for some reason, failed to complete. It can be due to network issues, human negligence to approve the continuation of backup or any other system issue. 

Solution: To avoid such situations, enable options in your backup system to continue the transfer from the same point before the interruption. Also, when choosing the options for automatic backup, don’t be very selective and select all the necessary files you’ll need.

  • 4. What to Do When the Database Storage Capacity Becomes Larger?

This is one common struggle for SMBs when it comes to data backup. Backup services cost as much as space you consume and therefore, many cannot afford to back up every single one of their files. But what can we do when the backup limit is nearing and there’s a massive volume of important data that needs to be backed up?

Solution: This is when the help of managed backup solutions come in. When you outsource the backup services to an expert, the team will plan and manage your data on the backup storage efficiently. They’ll remove the data that’s outdated and backup the data that’s needed right now and help you to stay within your budget.

  • 5. How can you extend security to your backup storage too?

managed backup

Data security is on the minds of every single company that deals with sensitive information. While you’ll be using hi-tech security features for your master database, you need to extend the same level of security for your backup storage since both contain important data.

Solution: If you’re worried about hiring another team for the security of backup storage, here’s a better solution for you. You can outsource the backup security, maintenance and monitoring to an IT consulting firm that’ll have their own team to run constant checks on your backup storage just like your central storage. 

You can also combine the backup management services along with the maintenance and get an affordable deal.

If you’re looking for a good IT consulting firm offering managed backup services, then call us at 361.653.6800. Our backup and disaster recovery experts will guide you to choose the right backup strategy within your budget and stay protected.

Key Takeaways

While having a good backup system is the right thing to do, you should equally focus on maintaining this system as your main storage. Here are the top things to stay secure with your backup.

  • Make multiple backups of important data.
  • Schedule automated backing up of the data at regular intervals.
  • Enable options to ensure smooth, complete transfer of data even when interrupted.
  • Outsource to managed backup service providers to handle vast volumes of data backups at affordable rates.
  • Extend a high level of security to your backed up data with managed backup solutions.
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healthcare SaaS
Security

How Healthcare SaaS is Taking Off in the Medical Industry?

Written by Layer One Networks Published

Let us start with the numbers.

61.84 billion US dollars.

Is the number, global healthcare cloud computing market expects to generate by 2025? The integration of software in the medical industry is a revolution of sorts. With the pandemic revealing loopholes in the healthcare sector, this revolution is imperative.

At the heart of this revolution is the advent and growth of SaaS — Software as a Service. In today’s world, you are a few clicks away from an IT consulting firm. Most of them have evolved into providing quality cloud computing services.

The cloud-based solutions were never a go-to in the healthcare sector. Security concerns, coupled with compliance issues riddled its utility.

Now, to ensure SaaS is viable in the medical industry, stringent regulations are in place. With the equipping of firewalls, blockchain technology, etc, SaaS providers are now reliable.

The evolution of SaaS into a workable solution in the healthcare sector is pleasing. The most profound reasons for this evolution are:

  • Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI)

Healthcare runs on prior records. Every medication, every treatment in the past, impacts the patients’ health acuity. The medical conditions, the severity of the treatment are important records in healthcare.

The documentation of the same is a tedious task. The possibility of human error during documentation is high. When we scale it up to public health levels, it is alarming at the least.

Cloud-based documentation solves these problems. The real-time updates, coupled with ease of access make this solution a no-brainer.

CDI assists in easier collaboration across the healthcare center. This allows for the streamlining of the workflow. Since the physicians have the patient’s past at their fingertips, the diagnosis is easier.

During treatment, the recording of every needle and pill happens in real-time. CDI provides a comprehensive reflection of a patient’s clinical status. The utility of CDI furthers into maintaining macro records. From billing the patient to preparing the report card. It also assists in the documentation of public health data and disease tracking.

  • Telehealth

healthcare SaaS

The efficacy of cloud computing is further enhanced with the advent of telehealth. With this, SaaS providers have eased major logistical issues in the healthcare sector.

An IT Consulting firm can now connect a patient with his/her physician in real-time. This solves the traditional issue of lack of accessibility to quality healthcare. Cloud computing services have enabled access to medical professionals, using the internet. This is also used to educate the patient on the best practices of healthcare. And even monthly or weekly tracking of health conditions is possible. All thanks to the flexibility of telehealth.

The pandemic and its associated restrictions on movement is a hassle. But, with telehealth, the patients’ connectivity with healthcare providers is seamless. This also furthers the reach of quality healthcare.

Remember, the internet has no geographical borders. Hence, even those living in rural areas too can access medical professionals.

  • Electronic HIE – Health Information Exchange

A prolonged issue in the healthcare sector has been the exchange of information. With the advent of electronic health records, the logistical issues were less of a hassle. Yet, public sector healthcare providers never embraced it. The fear-factor was present. From misuse to data breaches, the potential for adversity is high.

Cut to 2020, most SaaS providers have used cloud-computing to make HIE workable.

The seamless transfer of files and records enhances productivity. And this enhancement is possible even in the public health sector.

Electronic HIE also addresses a wide range of applications. It acts as a haven for the maintenance of population health management. This pandemic has reflected the need for transparent HIE. Ideal SaaS providers leverage the potential of technology to ease the HIE process.

The advantages of using electronic HIE by cloud computing services are as follows:

  • Reduces administrative work and time,
  • Avoids medication errors,
  • Improves diagnosis,
  • Removes unwanted testing,
  • Ensures transparency.
  • Data Security

Public healthcare is a data-intensive sector. The voluminous amounts of information are two-edged. It facilitates ease of access and reduces efforts in the treatment of individuals. But, the potential for data breaches, leaks, and hacks are aplenty.

Being a core concern for the use of cloud and technology, data security plays an integral role. The evolution of data security has been significant, and at pace.

Healthcare institutions store a multitude of data. Personal information, medical conditions, financials, is all part of the data. To secure them all, the need to invest in quality data security solutions is essential.

Since the data is cloud-based, the need for an on-site data security team is redundant. Using SaaS, healthcare institutions can afford high-security solutions.

Investing in these furthers the image of the institution in the minds of patients and others.

  • Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Medical education is enduring. The extensive education, coupled with experiential learning takes years. Add to it the rapid evolution in techniques and standards. The call to remain updated is another prolonged process.

To solve this, cloud-based LMS is the key. This allows medical professionals to learn and educate themselves. Yet, with negligible to zero compromises in professional commitments.

Using SaaS, the LMS assists healthcare professionals with their continuing education (CE). This helps them be in line with industry standards. LMS is customizable. From a fresher to an experienced doctor, the tailoring of LMS is possible at an individual level.

LMS aligns the learning schedule of an individual with their professional commitments. This reduces the scope for compromises, while still helping them learn.

The facet of accessibility is ideal for learning. You can access LMS using a range of devices. Since they are cloud-based, LMS are cost-efficient and provide utmost utility.

Associating with an IT consulting firm for LMS can assist in the tracking of progress. The real-time monitoring of the learning process, also, assists in compliance.

Understanding the benefits of using SaaS, it is high-time, public healthcare embraces it. For IT solutions of the highest quality, LayerOne is your go-to IT consulting firm. We provide secure and reliable end-to-end solutions. We follow all regulations and privacy implications. Contact us and welcome enhanced productivity and efficiency.

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