The Cloud

Two Big Reasons to Move to the Cloud

Most of the decisions made in business are to protect or increase the bottom-line. Cloud services are reported to boost profits and spur growth. By using cloud hosting, your company can scale and reduce data without the additional cost and physical space taken up by servers. The cloud is also convenient with easy file sharing capabilities, ensuring that teams can coordinate and work on projects from anywhere at any time.

In light of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the cloud is keeping many companies open, allowing workers to communicate, collaborate, and keep operations moving. Zoom, OneDrive, and other cloud-based applications provide greater workforce mobility. Migrating your business to the cloud will allow more customers to be served and workers to stay productive with a secure job to support their families. Additionally, it will allow employees to have more creativity and control in their day, thereby increasing their job satisfaction.

Make a Plan

As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.”

Set a clear plan with objectives and goals, perhaps with a mix of on-premise and cloud solutions. This could be referred to as an implementation road map.

Build in “Off-Ramps”

Businesses should create milestones to pause the migration from an on-premise to a cloud solution. Think of it as using the off-ramp on a highway to get gas and check your map before continuing your road trip. It’s an opportunity to check and evaluate your progress.

Create a Data Storage Strategy

Carefully analyze each benefit when making a complicated transition. Moving some data to the cloud may impact the user experience. Certain hosts can make it difficult for a business to work with the data. Some pieces of data need local copies or caches of data to be used while maintaining a backup of that data in the cloud. Find the solutions that work best for your business.

Benefits of cloud servers include:

Performance
Security
Around-the-clock support

Control
Scalability

Outsource Your Business IT to Cloud Computing Experts

At Throttlenet, we understand that not all businesses have their own IT department to implement large and complicated transitions. Our business engineers will help you migrate and expand your services as your company grows. Click here to learn about our managed cloud software. After all, business happens around-the-clock, and your employees need to be able to access systems, software, emails, and documents at any time.

There’s NO Time for DOWNTIME

When it comes to business continuity, there’s no time for downtime. Without top-tier security, even the best IT can be quickly rendered useless. Cyber-criminals use sophisticated tools to scan the internet looking for opportunities. Right now, as businesses scramble to make it work from remote home offices and reduced on-site teams, the internet is teeming with insidious opportunity.

32% of all businesses with 11-49 employees have reported a cyber attack within the last 12 months. - 2017 State of Cybersecurity, Better Business Bureau

Cyber-criminals don’t discriminate. Anyone can be a target. It doesn’t matter if you’re a non-profit, small business, or larger enterprise. if your business depends on technology to run smoothly (and nowadays, whose doesn’t?), it only makes sense to secure it properly.

Will IT Security Slow My Business Down?

“Thanks to the knowledgeable support team at ThrottleNet, our network is running faster and more efficient than ever before.” – Dr. Richard Goldberg

Having strong IT security doesn’t mean making every internal transaction require 2-factor authentication or that you need to install retina scanning to access your server. It means finding the right software and protocols for your needs and implementing them in smart ways that work for you. Often it simply requires that your staff and your policies follow some simple best practices, and your software is properly protected. ThrottleNet’s Custom IT Security Solutions Are the Perfect Fit

IT Security = Business Continuity

65% of all businesses could not remain profitable for more than three months if they permanently lost access to essential data. - 2017 State of Cybersecurity, Better Business Bureau

You’re in the business of staying in business. Do you have a business continuity plan? Is security is included? You know how much productivity is affected when your email goes down (we make sure it doesn’t). Now imagine not having access to your server or your essential files and data for a day. For a week? What if your data is held hostage with ransomware by someone demanding payment in bitcoin; would your business survive?

According to the Ponemon Institute, a leading private research organization that conducts independent research on privacy, data protection and information security policy, the average cost of cleaning up after being hacked stands at $690,000 for small businesses and over $1 million for mid-market companies. Most businesses can’t afford that kind of expense, especially in the faltering economy and uncertain future of COVID-19.

How Does IT Security Help You Keep the Lights On?

60% of small companies are unable to sustain their businesses over six months after a cyber attack. - U.S. National Cyber Security Alliance

The first key to IT security is prevention. Every network in the world shares a common weakest link – its users. Keeping your staff keenly trained on best practices and on the lookout for threats is your number one defense against cyber crime. Don’t overlook this crucial element in your IT security strategy!

The next key is protection. Getting targeted by a cyberattack might be inevitable, but getting penetrated is not. A proactive cyber defense plan will not only engage your employees as a security force, but use technology solutions to shield your network, databases, and communication systems from viruses, phishing, ransomware, malware, and all other tools criminals use attack your business.

Must-have IT security technologies include:

Firewalls
Offsite backups with cloud replication

Threat monitoring
Virus/malware/adware detection and removal

Software patches
Heuristic Threat Detecting Software

Don’t forget about your policies and procedures! Tools are only effective if you use them correctly.

The third key is planning. In the event of a cyber-attack, you need your business to be part of the 40 percent that survives. This means having a complete disaster recovery and business continuity plan in place with technology at its core. In the old days, of paper and physical theft and destruction, what was lost was lost forever and there was no going back. But we live in the future now, and technology has mitigated that risk. Play your security strategy right, and your business can be back up, running, and recovering in no time.

ThrottleNet Keeps the Lights on For You

“Ultimately, ThrottleNet’s quick response and expertise has been crucial in supporting our infrastructure at RBO PrintLogistix.” – Jim Riley, CEO and President of RBO PrintLogistix

Backing up data is one thing; testing the backups is another. What good is a backup file if it’s infected with the same ransomware that’s holding your data hostage? The time to plan is before there’s an emergency; redundancies are now essential. By working together, we’ll make sure your business has a plan to stay up and running.

Explore a Managed IT Security Solution for Your Business

What is an outsourced IT company?

Outsourced IT companies are businesses you hire to manage your company’s information technology. Outsourced IT companies service some or all of your IT functions required for business, virtually. By outsourcing IT solutions, your company can meet all of its information technology needs today without the hassle of managing projects internally or hiring new employees.

As many St. Louis area businesses are now working partly or entirely from home during the coronavirus pandemic, now is a good time to assess whether outsourcing your IT is a good fit for your business. Let’s have a look at six big advantages of outsourced IT solutions.

Services Included With Outsourced IT Solutions

The tasks and services included with outsourced IT solutions can vary depending on your business and the IT company you choose. The services can be broken into two main categories, IT Management and Cyber Security.

IT Management

What aspects of my business can an outsourced IT company remotely monitor?

Servers
Routers

Computers
Backups

Networks
Software

Printers
Cloud

Cyber Security

Security risks to your critical business data and your customers’ information is an ever-increasing threat. Ransomware attacks and phishing attacks are among the leading security risks. By outsourcing IT solutions, you can get cutting-edge managed protection against:

Ransomware
Malware

Viruses & Worms
Phishing Attacks

Brute Force Attacks

65% of all businesses could not remain profitable for more than three months if they permanently lost access to essential data.

Knowing that the threat is high, and the risk is even higher every business should have a dedicated staff to combat threats and manage security. There are options to protect yourself, such as hiring one dedicated employee to oversee all IT management and security. That option is a very tall order for one employee. A company that is large enough might be able to shoulder the cost of an entire team. For companies that cannot bear the cost of an entire team, outsourcing IT solutions is their best option. Let’s look at some of the advantages of outsourcing your IT department.

Advantages of Outsourcing IT Solutions

Reduce Labor Cost
Every business has the same goal to reduce cost and increase profit. Employees cost more than their salary. They take vacations, sick days, and mental health days. They need benefits and retirement packages.
Decrease Risk
Most companies cannot afford an entire team. A virtual IT company is a team of dedicated professionals that work around the clock to meet all of your needs. Experienced professionals at a Virtual IT company such as Throttlenet see related problems that you experience multiple times with other clients. An inhouse employee might be experiencing for the first time and on their own. Real-world experience is priceless.
Quickly Implement New Technology
Implementing new software or any new technology can result in downtime and long timelines. A quality outsourced IT service will have the resources to start right away without hiring new people and training them.
Increase Competitiveness
Large businesses have the advantage of having enough resources to implement cutting edge technology. By outsourcing, smaller businesses have access to those same resources for a fraction of the cost.
Focus On Your Core Business
You didn’t create your manufacturing, financial, real estate business, or a non-profit to spend time on IT management and security. Your passion is the core of your business. That is where your expertise is valued most and should be the focus of your time.
Technical Support Is Always Available
Peace of mind is priceless. By outsourcing IT solutions, there is a reliable team available for any unexpected crisis. Solutions to questions are a phone call, chat, or email away.

Outsourced IT solutions provide peace of mind from fax to cloud. If you’d like more information about what an award-winning Managed Service Provider can do for your business, get started with a free assessment of your IT network and cyber security.

CONTACT THROTTLENET

ThrottleNet is known to offer high quality IT support, while also being a well-rounded team of experts that are there to help you and your business the most effective way possible. ThrottleNet’s full-time IT department is fast, friendly, and fixes tough issues with ease. Some IT service companies today don’t offer the support needed for businesses to run smoothly. ThrottleNet doesn’t just set you up, instead we support you throughout, and do it very well.

ThrottleNet’s Attentive & Helpful Team

Your IT support service should be properly staffed. This includes many trained employees that have the ability to handle any questions that clients might have. ThrottleNet can address the major problems initially, and then proceed with fixing the issues of lower priority efficiently. The team at ThrottleNet are able to provide solutions just as fast as issues emerge.

This is what our clients have to say:

“We LOVE ThrottleNet! We called with a computer problem and your team immediately resolved the issues, were prompt and very friendly. We have never had this type of experience with any other computer company we have worked with in the past. We are relieved that another vet recommended ThrottleNet to the Bridgeton Animal Hospital. You guys are the best!” – Dr. Kay Tung, Veterinarian at Bridgeton Animal Hospital

IT Support When You Need It

Do you feel like you tend to wait awhile for IT support? If there is one thing that is definite in any business, it is that they all need IT support that is reliable. Many complaints from clients show how their previous IT support service is slow. This can undoubtedly impact your business’s functionality and slow down daily activities.

ThrottleNet fixes problems rapidly, while also doing a good job. Just look to see what our clients are saying:

“ThrottleNet makes IT completely hassle free. Their proactive approach to network efficiency and security is integral to our achievement in the B2B marketplace. Delivering leading-edge online storefronts for enterprise-level businesses is at the heart of our print and marketing solutions. Therefore, a stable network and reliable connectivity is vital to the success of our business. Their cloud mail and backup solution has mitigated any risk of data loss and ensured we’ll always have access to our clients’ digital assets and files.”

“Ultimately, ThrottleNet’s quick response and expertise has been crucial in supporting our infrastructure at RBO PrintLogistix.” – Jim Riley, CEO & President of RBO PrtingLogistix

Qualified at Fixing IT

The team of specialists at ThrottleNet thinks through tough problems. Sometimes, missing the tiniest details can create a whole different problem. With almost two decades worth of exceptional experience, ThrottleNet has the resources, knowledge, and experience that you are in need of. ThrottleNet is known for its knowledgeable and friendly team, that is always ready to provide solutions to your IT issues.

Here is a glimpse of some of our client’s reviews:

“Thanks to the knowledgeable support team at ThrottleNet, our network is running faster and more efficient than ever before. I can trust them to resolve technical issues that might otherwise get in the way of running my business.” – Dr. Richard Goldberg from St. Louis Orthodontic Group

“I wanted to reiterate how happy we here at Condominium Property Management are with ThrottleNet. Several employees have seen immediate and dramatic improvements in their computers’ boot times. Instead of waiting 20 to 30 minutes to boot, our computers now boot up in about one minute. They also set up a Web backup for us, which is something we’ve discussed for a long time, but never implemented. We look forward to a long relationship with ThrottleNet.” – Jane Oliver, President of Condominium Property Management

Start Your ThrottleNet IT Experience

Are you in need of an IT support service that will be there to fix problems when you need it most? ThrottleNet is happy to help with all things IT related. Give us a call today to set up a consultation and see how we are the best option for your business.

In video three of our TNtv 3Qs series on Microsoft Azure services, ThrottleNet’s Sales Director, Chris Montgomery, and Cloud Services Manager, Aaron Oliver, discussed the process of migrating from your current storage software system to Azure. Migrating to Azure services is actually quite simple, whether you make a complete transition or take a more gradual approach.

Azure Pt 3 – The How and Why from ThrottleNet, Inc. on Vimeo.

How Does Transitioning to Azure Work?

Azure transitions are very flexible. You can choose to gradually move to Azure’s cloud, migrating individual services or servers at a time, or make a complete transition all at once. Important services and servers can be moved to Azure’s cloud storage while others can be kept on-site.

Azure also allows you the option to create a virtual network with a VPN connection. VPN stands for virtual private network. Virtual private networks provide you with a secure connection to other networks over the internet. With the ability of creating a virtual network, businesses can permit either a service provider network or a data center to make changes to your networking structure in order to make it the most efficient without needing changes in physical hardware connections.

How Should I Begin the Transition to Azure?

Users who make the transition to Azure will still connect to the same applications and services they were previously. Many users that make the switch begin by decommissioning file servers and moving to Azure’s Active Directory. Businesses decommission file servers when either removing a server permanently or combining existing servers.

Azure’s Active Directory, also known as Azure AD, is a data storage service that can be accessed by the cloud on your mobile device. Azure Active Directory allows employees sign in to access both external resources, such as the Azure portal, and internal resources, such as apps within your corporate network. Azure AD users tend to include IT admins, app developers, and subscribers of Microsoft 365, Azure, and Dynamics CRM Online. As subscribers, users automatically have the option to begin to manage access to the integrated apps within the cloud storage.

What are the Benefits of using Azure?

Azure users have access to choose which individual applications to move to the cloud, where some might not require servers at all. Benefits of making the switch to Azure includes reduction in capital expenditures, and server maintenance costs, removal of warranty renewals, and reduction in data center hosting costs. Additionally, businesses can be better protected while using Azure. Azure increases server security, allows you to meet compliance requirements, improves scalability, and generally, has you pay for what you need and not for what you might not be using.

Make the Move to Azure with ThrottleNet

If you’re in need of some help with your company’s storage software, contact ThrottleNet today! ThrottleNet specializes in IT management and security systems, providing businesses and organizations with a full-time IT department. To get the information you’re looking for, reach out today to get the help you need from our experts.

Is your company debating about making the switch from an on-site server to cloud storage? Microsoft Office 365 and Azure could be the right solution for your business. In part two of our Azure series we discuss the benefits of making the switch and how Azure and Office 365 work together.

3Qs – Azure – Pt2 – Office 365 from ThrottleNet, Inc. on Vimeo.

When your company decides to switch to Office 365, you are given an Azure active directory. The active directory is what controls the users on the backend of your website, smaller companies use their servers to move files and to be their active directory controller for security.

Things to Consider Before Making the Switch

Do you have any business apps that require SQL?
Do your vendors support this?
Where your files are located now
Removes expensive in- site email

Companies are moving their business apps to the cloud along with all of their data and information.

What has changed to Not Require Servers?

Microsoft and Azure have been releasing new features monthly for the past year or so. OneDrive and SharePoint have been revamped, and Microsoft has created a feature called Files On-Demand on OneDrive. This will allow you to:

Store all files in the cloud
Have files available when needed
Have more open space on your hard drive
Auto synchronization
Inexpensive cloud storage upgrade

This type of storage is as low as $20-$30 per terabyte.

Benefits of Making the Switch

You will no longer have to spend money on your servers when the life of those run out. Reduction of onsite backup and storage costs. When backing information up, if it is much cheaper to back up in the cloud than it is the traditional way. The traditional way of backup will normally require an additional server. The biggest benefit is the ability to access information remotely. All you will need is an internet connection and you are up and running. Because it is secure, you will not need to use a VPN, and this will save the company money because they will not have to keep repurchasing the licenses for VPNs.

Conclusion

Office 365 and Azure together, will make the process of switching to cloud storage very simple. These two programs work very well together so your business can run smoothly. There are many benefits to making the switch to the cloud but the greatest benefits is having access to your information from anywhere with an internet connection. If the information above sounds like a good fit for your business or you have additional questions, please contact us and we can help you. We look forward to hearing from you.

For more information on “What Azure is?” check out part 1 of the Azure series.