Whether a medium-sized company or a large corporation: A solid IT infrastructure is the cornerstone of every company. However, growing digital networking, the inclusion of a more significant number of digital technologies, ever shorter product life cycles, and strict legal requirements mean that the IT structures in companies are becoming ever more comprehensive – and with them, the tasks and areas of competence of the IT teams.

Since there is often a lack of time, money, specialist staff, and the right know-how in companies today, parts of the IT infrastructure are generally looked after more often by an external IT service provider via managed IT services.

But What Have Managed IT Services?

Managed IT services are recurring IT services that are provided on behalf of a company by an external IT service provider, also known as a managed service provider, or MSP for short. These include the provision, monitoring, and administration of applications, network services, storage space, IT security, or the further development of business processes and technical IT support for employees.

The type, scope, and nature of the complementary IT services are defined in advance and contractually agreed between the managed service provider and the company in what is known as managed service agreements, or MSA for short, service level agreements, or SLA for short.

In addition, managed IT services are usually provided monthly, which is why billing is also monthly according to different tariff models.

This means that not only is the billing extremely transparent, but the implementation and quality of the IT services can be measured. As a result, companies have the option of withholding a portion of the amount to be paid or, under certain circumstances, even demanding a fine from the managed service provider in the context of a performance that is not correctly or satisfactorily handed over.

These IT Services Cover Managed Services!

With the managed IT service concept, there are three different types of service provision:

• IT service on site: With this service provision, the IT systems run on-site at the client. Administration and supervision take place via a system for remote monitoring and management or RMM for short.
• IT services via remote access: With this type, the IT services are operated on the IT service provider’s IT infrastructure and made available via the Internet. Some managed service providers use their data centers, while others work with colocation providers.
• IT services via the cloud: Another model is to provide managed IT services on a public cloud platform.

Although managed IT services initially consisted mainly of overseeing server and network infrastructures, they now cover an enormous range of IT, for example:

• Storage services – include the provision, adaptation, and maintenance of storage space.
• Cloud Computing includes IT services related to cloud computing and shifting IT to the cloud.
• Backup and Recovery Services – includes creating backups and data recovery in a disaster.
• IT security – includes IT services related to IT security, including the provision, configuration, and updating of antivirus programs, anti-spam solutions, or firewall solutions to ensure network security and desktop security.
• Remote monitoring – includes regular remote monitoring and remote control of servers, IT systems, and IT solutions.
• Update plus patch management – ​​includes updating and patching the IT systems and solutions.
• Application services – include the provision, adaptation, and maintenance of essential server applications.
• Helpdesk Services – includes all support services.

Also Read: Why Do you Need Managed It Solutions for your Construction Business in Washington DC?

A Distinction Between Managed IT Services And Outsourcing!

Managed IT services and IT outsourcing are not the same!

While IT outsourcing means outsourcing all IT tasks and IT areas to an IT service provider, the managed IT service model usually only outsources specific areas of the IT infrastructure.

Furthermore, IT outsourcing usually always goes hand in hand with job cuts. On the other hand, managed IT services aim to relieve IT teams so they can better concentrate on their primary tasks.

Another critical contrast between managed IT services and IT outsourcing is that IT outsourcing comes with losing control. With managed services, the assets remain in the company.

What Are The Benefits of Managed IT Services?

Managed IT services offer companies numerous forward-looking benefits.

These include, for example:

• Efficiency: Several IT processes consume valuable time, such as creating backups or IT maintenance. By outsourcing specific routine tasks, employees can better concentrate on their core tasks. Furthermore, the companies are looked after by a professional team of experts, which is more extensive than they can achieve by hiring IT staff.
• Business growth: With all routine tasks being handed off to a managed service provider, businesses have more capacity to focus on considered direction and leadership of operations and to make the transition enterprise-wide.
• Cost control: With managed services, companies have better control of their IT expenses. You know what to expect at the end of the month. Your assessments become more accurate and precise – an unexpected load over the limit, which requires new hardware or software licenses, is bypassed.
• Managed Security: As web attacks grow, the pressure on organizations to address data compliance increases. Managed IT security services respond appropriately to this threat. In addition, managed service providers usually have more security expertise and powerful software than is available in small and medium-sized companies.
• Cost reduction: It is challenging, especially for medium-sized companies, to have sufficient specialist staff for their IT department. Thanks to managed IT services, however, companies benefit from a large team of experts who by no means only offer them the necessary IT advice but also take care of complex matters.
• Digitization: The digital transformation is rapidly changing our working world. Hardly any department is more affected than your operational IT. Thanks to managed IT services, companies will soon be able to implement technical innovations of Industry 4.0, such as robust cloud solutions. This not only results in greater agility in your operations but also greater scalability.
• High availability: Since managed service providers typically have multiple redundancies, IT reliability can be guaranteed. Some providers ensure availability of up to 99.95%.
• Conclusion: the rudder remains in your hands!

Managed IT services are on the rise. This is because these reduce the growing IT complexity, guarantee more transparency, and free IT resources bring added value, inventiveness, and innovation. Because of this, IT professionals agree – that managed IT services are a good decision for any company regarding IT.

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“Ask your doctor or pharmacist about risks and side effects,” or your IT security expert, if you have one. And you should! Because as beautiful as the world of digitization with all its possibilities may be – from smartphones to cloud computing to the Internet of Things – its “side effects” are just as threatening.

Inadequately protected IT systems take their toll and sometimes have existential consequences. The range of possible damage is extensive: repair or replacement costs for individual components, downtime, downtimes, or loss of image. In extreme cases, the company is threatened with bankruptcy.

Threat Situation

For a good eight out of ten industrial companies, the number of cyber-attacks has increased in the past two years, reports Bitkom. But large corporations are targeted by Internet gangsters: what is vulnerable is attacked! More than 70 percent of companies have been victims of cyberattacks in the past two years. The shotgun is used for shooting, and the ammunition is malware that lodges itself in IT systems as a so-called malware infection.

Advanced Persistent Threats

APTs are targeted attacks intended to give the attacker permanent access to a system. This type of attack is usually about data theft. The focus is on selected institutions and companies, mainly from the industrial and financial sectors. The latest methods and developments are used, as the attackers want to remain undetected and use sophisticated evasion techniques. To gain access to a network, the attackers use what is known as spear phishing. This is a kind of social engineering in which specially prepared emails are used to write to company employees and induce them to take any action to gain access to the system.

Attacks on Industrial Control Systems

Many production systems are still running with outdated software for which there are no longer any updates. This opens the door to attackers. The malware mostly gets into the system via phishing emails and exploits known vulnerabilities. In the developments around Industry 4.0, there is a substantial potential risk multiplied by increasing networking.

(D) Dos Attacks

Distributed Denial of Service attacks (D) DoS attacks) are targeted attacks on company servers. The aim of these attacks is not to steal or manipulate data. Instead, the company’s servers and associated services are bombarded with inquiries for so long and intensely until there are sensitive disruptions or they collapse entirely. If the attack is aimed at the webserver, the company’s website can be completely paralyzed in extreme cases. If the spell affects the mail server, incoming and outgoing mail is idle.

On the one hand, these attacks prevent further work with the services. On the other hand, it is damaging to the company’s image if its website or online shop can no longer be reached. (D) DoS attacks can now be conveniently purchased from hacker networks, which increases their occurrence. Hundreds of thousands of “zombie” computers (externally controlled PCs contaminated with Trojans) send data packets to the target server via botnets. As a preventive measure, an emergency plan can be agreed upon with the provider. He can use technical means to detect such an attack and initiate appropriate emergency measures.

Ransomware

Also known colloquially as encryption Trojans, these attacks attempt to block access to your data by encrypting data storage devices and hard drives. After paying a ransom, the Trojan promises to reverse the encryption.

Protective Measures

Virus scanners and firewalls are not enough to cope with this threat, increasing both quantitatively and qualitatively. Often the most significant security risk is in front of the computer. Typical reasons for human error are insufficient qualification, operating mistakes, carelessness or stressful situations. Employees must be made aware of the issue through training. Otherwise, the most expensive investments in defense against external threats will be ineffective. In addition, a code of conduct, which regulates the handling of data in a binding manner for everyone, helps.

Malicious threats are not the only source of threats to IT systems. The “unintentional” threats in the digital age include technical failures such as crashing computers, network overloads, or defective data carriers. Periodic backups, incorrect or missing password management, or inadequate emergency management can be traced to organizational deficiencies. And finally, acts of God such as fire, water, dust, or lightning strikes can also cause considerable damage.

To protect yourself against such threats, your threat situation must be analyzed, and the individual security level determined. Only then can a comprehensive security concept consisting of technical and organizational measures be designed. Because one thing is clear: there is no one hundred percent IT security, and most companies would not be affordable.

The time factor, tight budgets, and the increasing complexity of the subject make it difficult to deal with the topic until it crashes. Only when the child has fallen into the well and the damage has occurred action taken. Don’t let it get that far! Preventive measures are the more effective and cheaper way to protect yourself from cybercriminals.

Also Read: IT Security Is Becoming Even More Critical

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Theft of digital identity – both a criminal offense and a starting point for a large number of additional illegal activities (keyword: phishing)

According to the federal management report, DDoS attacks (the deliberate overloading and paralyzing of servers or networks) have increased significantly in quality and quantity.

“Cybercrime-as-a-Service” is spreading as a criminal business model and now enables a broad user base without in-depth IT knowledge to commit cybercrimes (keyword: Darknet)

In particular, small and medium-sized companies often fall victim to ransomware: These programs use encryption Trojans (i.e., viruses) to paralyze the company’s IT and create the basis for blackmail.

Malware enables tailor-made attacks on specific computer systems; it can also download additional malware as soon as it has penetrated a system.

Therefore, anyone who runs a company in one of these areas has a special duty to report cyber attacks (or the suspicion that one has occurred) on the company to the Federal Ministry for Security and IT (BSI). In addition, companies that meet specific criteria must comply with exceptional security standards.

Warning: Just because you don’t fall into these industries doesn’t mean you are less at risk – just that paralyzing your business doesn’t directly affect the general good of society. You can use the same resources to increase your IT security. The BSI assists with introducing the BSI security standard and the so-called IT baseline protection. The security guideline VdS 10000 is especially suitable for smaller companies (less than ten employees), and it is presented in our information security guidelines for small and medium-sized companies.

Absolute Minimum Protection

As an absolute minimum, you should meet the security standard in your industry to not stand out from the crowd as a desirable target. However, this will only help you if targeted attacks are carried out on specific companies. However, the vast majority of attacks, e.g., through ransomware or phishing, are untargeted – they reach millions of companies simultaneously, including yours, with a high degree of probability. Because companies often do not even notice successful cyber attacks.

In an interview with us, a cyber security expert recommended that entrepreneurs take the first step to overview the threat situation. Understand where and how your company uses IT and where it depends on IT to continue functioning. In this way, you can also find out which systems should have an exceptionally high priority when introducing protective measures and which can be postponed. In the next step, you will work out what kind of attacks could occur at the respective vulnerability and how you want to react in an emergency. You have to instill these rules of conduct in your employees because many measures fail when employees do not know they have to report anomalies or don’t dare to act, thanks to a disturbing corporate culture. The above security guidelines help with this process as well.

Also Read: SEO Mistakes That Firms Often Make On Their Websites

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Features of SIBERGEN Technologies IT help desk services include:

• We assist with Best-in-class customer IT services.
• Incident and service request management features make your experience opulent.
• Assist support for desktops, laptops, mobile devices, servers, storage, and network devices.
• We provide support for Windows, Mac, & Linux operating systems
• Service virtue and configuration management, knowledge management for developers.
• Guaranteed service levels via SLAs.
• Resolution of exploit and service appeal as quickly as possible.

IT HELP DESK SUPPORT LEVELS WE OFFER

We quickly assign an IT Help Desk Services for any small business and large organization ticket to a specialist with the right set of expertise, we offer an IT consulting support team into different high-level according to the complexity of the issues that your organization is facing they are expected to handle.

WHAT MAKES OUR HELP DESK SERVICES RELIABLE?

• Thorough IT background with our profound experience in the IT field.
• Effective collaboration that is based on dozens of successful help desk services.
• SIBERGEN Technologies assist flexibility and we adjust our customers’ diverse and changing requirements through what they need.
• We focus on quality more than any other thing, investing in inappropriate training of help desk agents, making the process better.
• SIBERGEN Help Desk consulting services support for End Users of Product Design Software.

Help Desk Outsourcing Services with SIBERGEN Technologies

Our outsourced help desk serves to immediately resolve your employees’ or customers’ user issues and technical issues of your software or IT substructure. In help desk services for several years, SIBERGEN Technologies provides user, software, and IT infrastructure support for both IT and non-IT companies and developers.

WHY CHOOSE SIBERGEN Technologies?

• Several years of experience in help desk services.
• Professional experience in the entire IT industry.
• Mature quality management system for all services.
• Assured safety of the customers’ data.
•  Well, skilled IT specialists are on board.
• Support 24/7/365 hours a year.

Single Point To Resolve Your All Tech Problems?

Every small business or large company needs support for their technology. We provide an IT service desk or helpdesk support solution that gives your business a single point of contact to ensure your technical problems. Our experts addressed issues quickly and effectively so your business can continue to operate without any loss.

How Our IT Helpdesk Support can cover your business?

• Multilingual help desk support
• On-site and remote consultation support
• Response and inversion times are guaranteed by SIBERGEN technical experts.
• Expertise from senior specialists in the IT field.

How can IT Support Managed Services can assist you?

In addition to our IT-managed helpdesk solution, our trusted support team provides help in a wide variety of ways. Our experienced & talented consultants can resolve issues quickly and efficiently to secure your uptime.

Also Read: Document collaboration instruments you must know about

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But really: What is Information Security? What does it consist of?

What Is Information Security?

It is the set of mechanisms and activities that we apply to protect information. And along with it, also protect our business processes, which work using, precisely, information.

On the one hand, ordinary processes use information: customers, products, prices, contracts, etc. And on the other, an organization’s decision-making is based on its information on the organization itself, the market, and the context. Information is, therefore, a high-value asset.

To protect the information, it is not enough to do it with its supports, the data stores. But all the computer systems involved in its management and treatment and communications are also involved.

Protecting information consists of maintaining its three pillars: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Protecting confidentiality is preventing unauthorized people from accessing information. Often only this feature is thought of. But as we will see, it is not enough to ensure that an organization can continue its business processes.

The integrity is the proprietary information to keep right, no unauthorized alterations. Possible unauthorized alteration includes its destruction. In general, the alteration of lead can cause more significant damage since the decision-making and operations of the organization occur on incorrect information.

Finally, the availability ensures that the information will be accessible whenever needed, obviously, by authorized personnel. But, in most cases, it is the most crucial property. And on many occasions, the least attended.

Based on these great pillars, we could redefine or detail information security as the mechanisms designed to guarantee that information is available to the organization and its processes (availability); that it is the correct information, without unauthorized alterations (integrity); and that there are no unauthorized accesses (confidentiality).

Security Risk Analysis

Information security risks are very diverse both in their origin and causes and their motivation and effects. Therefore, we must always treat them not only as information risk but as a business continuity risk.

Regarding the affected elements, we can identify two main types of risks: physical and logical. The first are those that affect the infrastructure of information and communication systems. They include but are not limited to: fires, floods, electrical voltage fluctuations, natural disasters, theft, and other breakages. At the same time, the latter affects the data itself: theft, unauthorized access, manipulation, or the software that we use in its management.

Having seen the previous examples, we can establish an essential classification according to motivation. On many occasions, we identify hacking and crime as the only risks to information. But unintended chances are no less important.

We must not confuse information with digital information. Data on physical media: paper documents, cards, mobile units, etc. it must also be the object of information security. It is also part of the continuity of the business and may be a reason for theft and violation of confidentiality.

Also Read: IT Security – Safety From The Concept

As a Classification Of Security Mechanisms, We Can Identify:

Authentication :

Elements and processes aimed at identifying the users of the systems and information.

Authorization :

Those are used to determine the permissions or degrees of access that each user can have.

Access Control

Systems that prevent access to information and techniques. They can be physical: security doors, access codes, access cards, etc ., or logical: access screens.

Back-up:

Creation of copies of the data to avoid its loss. Especially important in the face of big disasters or data encryption malware.

Redundancy:

Installation and configuration of alternative means guarantee business continuity in the face of failures of different degrees in the infrastructure.

Encryption :

Coding of stored information. In such a way that physical access to its support does not allow its use. And coding of the data transmitted to prevent access or manipulation directly on the communication networks.

Destruction of Supports :

Once specific supports, especially physical ones such as paper or mobile units, are no longer necessary, it is convenient to reduce the number of copies. This reduces the chances of access and theft.

Audit :

Consistent in that, the systems themselves record accesses and manipulation operations for later analysis and identify vulnerabilities.

Also Read: The IT security Trends For 2021

The post Identify The Risks In Terms Of Information Security. appeared first on TechReviewsCorner.

According to the Washington DC Economic Partnership, the construction market of Washington DC has experienced consecutive growth for the sixth year, adding around 27 million sq. ft. primarily in the private sector. As the industry continues to rush with innovations like drone monitoring, GPS wearables, and 3D printing, there is more need for data and consolidation of platforms to keep systems secure and online.

In that context, managed IT solutions DC familiar with the construction industry’s complexities have become indispensable. Here are a few reasons why you need managed IT solutions for your construction business in Washington DC.

Help in Setting the Foundation

Phone systems, office productivity instruments, and emails are essential tools for employees in the construction industry. This way, SMBs can focus more on the completion of work instead of solution efficiency. Skilled IT solutions help in achieving both. They can also help determine which managed services, cloud-based offerings, and IT solutions are best for a business.
Besides that, IT providers can also implement these business basics, making them more convenient, user-friendly, and accessible, no matter whether the users are at a job site or in the workplace.

Give the Advantage of Automation

Automation makes construction processes and records extremely accessible and results in increased productivity. The introduction of technology also minimizes chances of human error, and improving accuracy ultimately leads to more people seeking construction services from a particular business. However, when you are too busy in your construction business or lack technological expertise, it’s not easy to monitor where workflows and automation are required for a productivity boost.
Top Managed IT solutions providers in Washington DC identify the processes that can be automated and recommend tools suitable for your business objectives, requirements, and size. They also help in integrating such solutions into your business’s technology infrastructure.

Identify the Right IT Tools

While many construction engineers and architects use advanced technologies and software programs, they need a range of collaborative tools to support and accelerate their processes. They need to view, review, and share associated files that may be too large to attach in emails.

With the increasing usage of mobile devices on construction sites in DC, mobile users need access to core applications via IT solutions. Clearly, adopting managed IT solutions has become a necessity for construction businesses rather than an option.

The IT team specializing in mobile technology and construction industry programs can help integrate the right IT tools in your infrastructure to streamline and facilitate collaboration.

Help in Building Support Structure

The construction market of Washington has been stable over the last couple of years, mainly in the residential sector. Recent projects like City Ridge have further supported the trend. To keep up with the needs, the technology requires more attention and special skills for proper functioning.

Hardware requires regular updates and maintenance, and software needs ongoing upgrades and patches. As the construction business grows in Washington DC, more processes will be needed to include new experts quickly and seamlessly. Managed IT solutions can help set up payrolls and email accounts and manage more devices to establish secure access to systems and applications.

Since each project generates extensive data and information, construction businesses need long-term storage and data management solutions. A dedicated team of managed IT solutions DC can answer user queries, perform ongoing maintenance, establish processes, and troubleshoot technical issues that can keep users productive and ensure smooth operations.

Ensure Workplace Safety

While there are so many benefits of technology, there are some risks involved, ranging from system crashes and natural disasters to cyber threats. When these happen, they result in massive downtime and data loss. Construction companies in DC may not deem it necessary to place secure cloud solutions in their procedures and policies. Many respondents use their personal devices for work that companies do not consider securing.

For instance, Whiting-Turner, a construction management firm in DC, became a victim of a data breach where employees’ information was compromised and used illegally.

Therefore, managed IT solutions DC thrive to provide strategic guidance to companies and implement proactive solutions and processes to mitigate associated risks.

While adopting technology in the construction industry may have specific barriers, a dedicated team of managed IT solution providers can help in the proactive incorporation of technology into your work environment.

As a result, your construction business gets ready for the competition in today’s technology-driven environment in the US. For more information about managed IT solutions in Washington DC, reach out to an experienced service provider in the industry and seek their help.

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