Choosing a Managed IT Service Provider in 2020

Now that 2020 has arrived, many small businesses are revisiting their IT operations strategies.

Managed IT is a service that every business could benefit from- but how do you choose the best one? Among the most popular projects are updating network infrastructure, creating data backups, and exploring the many cloud services on the market.

Organizations are Facing New Tech Challenges

As the world of technology continues to grow, malicious software has adapted to gather sensitive data that may compromise our businesses.

Because of this, Grand Rapids Tech recommends starting with a strategy for network security and monitoring.

According to Symantec, businesses saw the rise of a whole new set of technology and security challenges in 2017 and 2018:

• IoT devices have seen a 600% increase in cyber-attacks
• Mobile malware variants increased by about 54%.
• Ransomware variants increased by 46%
• In 2017, the average ransom cost lowered to $522, signaling that ransomware has become a commodity.

Many small and mid-size business owners risk the threat of data breaches, phishing attacks, and ransomware. These companies are much more susceptible to the downtime caused by these incidents than large corporations. Because of this, 43% of all cyber criminals expect a quick payment by choosing to target small businesses.

Most importantly, small business owners know that their client’s info is not something they can afford to expose to malicious third parties. Despite this fact, while some owners have invested in protecting their business and client information, others have almost no plan in place.

Because of this, we recommend looking at the most common entry points for malware and data breach.

• Proper configuration of IoT devices on the business network
• Limiting social engineering and phishing attempts through basic staff training
• Using high end antivirus, security and monitoring software on every device
• Encryption of client data
• Keeping all network infrastructure up to date with trusted network equipment
• Daily incremental backups to on and offsite locations
• Disaster Recovery solutions with the ability to spin up onsite and in the cloud
• Keeping all Operating Systems up to date with the latest version
• Properly segmented VLANs and network security

At Grand Rapids Tech, we provide all these services through our Managed Services packages.

Call or email us today to secure your network.

(616)-229-9840 [email protected]

Sources: Symantec Corporation 2018 Internet Security Threat Report