Oct 2009

 URGENT WARNING TO ALL BUSINESS OWNERS:

 If You Can’t Answer “Yes” To These 6 Questions, Your Current IT Guy Has Too Much Control

Most business owners would agree that you need to have a certain level of trust in your IT guy. After all, he or she does have access to all of your company’s data and systems. But what if you were no longer satisfied with their services and were looking into replacing them? Could you be sure that he or she wouldn’t do something to jeopardize your computer network and ultimately your business? Ask yourself the following 6 questions:

1. Do you know all the passwords? Every machine and Internet related device on your network has (or should have) a password. If your current provider is the only one who knows what they are then you cannot view, change, or update the system settings. You should also know the passwords to your company’s database and accounting package so you can change them whenever there is a change in IT providers.

2. Do you know where your backup files are stored and if they are being stored properly?
If you are like most business owners, you’re too busy dealing with the “crisis of the day” to think about system backups and probably leave tasks to your internal expert. If your database gets fried and your tech is nowhere to be found, you might be in a lot of trouble.

3. Do you have all the product keys to your software? Product keys are long, alphanumeric codes, usually printed on the back of the software’s packing material, that are required to install the software. Once installed, you don’t need them again...UNLESS your system becomes unstable and you need to reinstall the program. Always make sure you have these stored in a secure location.

4. Do you know where all the software disks are stored? Taking a minute to organize and store your software disks in a secure place can save you a considerable chunk of money in the event that you need to restore a program on your computer. If you don’t have the disk, you might be forced to buy the software again.

5. Do you know what routine maintenance must be done to your network? I know that the very idea of learning about and keeping track of all the servers, workstations, and peripherals on your network probably gives you a major headache, but it is important information to maintain. If your expert leaves without providing you with this information, you may need to pay a new professional to take this work over.

6. Do you know how to protect yourself from an ugly security breach if your computer expert leaves? What happens if you let go of your IT expert and he or she still has access to your company’s network? As soon as humanly possible, you should disable his or her access, including remote access to your network.

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, you will want to get the answers soon.  Any IT provider who is secure enough with the quality of their services should welcome the opportunity to provide you with the answers.

Take Back Control!

Finally, An Easy, Inexpensive, and Non-Intrusive Way To Keep Your Computer Guy Honest Without Taking Up A Bunch Of Your Time

If you are not comfortable with the documentation that your current IT provider has given  you...

If you feel like you get push back from your computer company every time you ask them for a password to YOUR network...

If you are not 100% confident that your current IT guru wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your network or your business...

If you’ve ever been suspicious about the way your IT guy seems to hoard information...

Then you’ll want to know about our Guardian Care Problem Prevention Network Audit. This documented audit will provide you with a checklist of items that need to be addressed in order to  keep your computer network up and running by preventing outages, downtime and securing your data from loss, hackers, viruses, spyware, and a host of other problems, including a rogue IT guy.

Call Today For A FREE Problem Prevention Network Security Audit:

903-581-2753

Sept 2009

 Are You Being Too Cheap About Protecting This Aspect Of Your Business?

Think back to the last time your server went down or you weren’t able to get e-mail; remember how frustrating that was? Or perhaps you experienced a virus or other data-erasing disaster. Remember how painful that was to resolve?

There are very few business activities that don’t heavily rely on your computer network, e-mail and data – and if any of these components stop working, business grinds to a screeching, frustrating halt. And with viruses and hackers becoming more sophisticated (and smart) about accessing your network, you simply cannot afford to NOT monitor the health and security of your network daily.

A network monitoring system is simply a way for a trained professional to watch over your computer network for slow or failing components, security breaches, and alarms that signify trouble is brewing. It can also detect signs that your backup is not working, that you’re running out of space on the server, or that a firewall is not functioning properly. Think of it like a security camera watching over your entire network 24/7/365.

So if network monitoring is SO important, why aren’t more small businesses INSISTING that their IT person put a system in place?  One of the biggest reasons we see is lack of knowledge. The reality is that many businesses DO have their systems monitored for problems; and the bigger and more sophisticated the company, the more critical this becomes. But smaller businesses are often outsourcing their IT support and, unless their computer guy offers this service, they may not even know it exists.

The second reason is complacency; the belief is that, “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” This is akin to saying, “We don’t need locks on our doors because we’ve never had our house burglarized.” The reason you HAVE the locks is to prevent your home or office from being robbed – and the reason you have network monitoring is to make sure you DON’T have problems.

Plus, simple monitoring is cheap. For as little as $1 per computer per month, you can have a basic monitoring system in place.