3 Data Loss Horror Stories

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You’ve likely heard about data loss and its potential impact. Unfortunately, the true costs of data loss often get covered up by the massive data breach stories that grab headlines.

Data breaches expose corporate and client data. And, when they affect major corporations like Sears, Delta Airlines and Best Buy, it’s easy to see why data day-to-day data loss stories don’t get as much coverage. The average total cost of a data breach is estimated to be $3.62 million.

Regardless, it’s important to keep in mind that disasters and accidents can cost you just as much as a data breach.

Did You Know? 43% of businesses that suffer massive data loss never reopen.

Here are a few examples of data loss and how it happens.

1. Toy Story 2 (Almost) Disaster

When looking at data loss horror stories, Pixar’s epic problems with “Toy Story 2,” definitely hit near the top of the list.

While working on the movie, one stray line of code managed to delete 90% of the film. All the Toy Story 2 backups were recorded on tapes.  But without regular testing (that never happened), the team never knew if the tapes would work until they tried to restore from them.

Unfortunately for the design studio, the tapes were not running good backups. That left the company with a months old version of the file tree and a rapidly approaching deadline for a release date.

However, Pixar got lucky.

One of their employees worked from home and happened to have a copy that was only a few weeks old. The film was back up and running after a massive week of overhauls, file checks and impossible man hours.

Related: 8 Business Benefits of Having Managed Services

One badly executed command almost cost Pixar their credibility and a film that eventually went on to gross nearly $500M and walked off with an Oscar nomination.

2. Government is Not Exempt

Data loss stories aren’t just reserved for olden time.

Even in 2014, well into the age of cloud computing and near-instant data recovery systems, the State Department showed exactly how bad things could get when you don’t have a recovery plan in place.

Rolling out a software patch managed to crash the State Department’s passport and visa system, affecting more than 200,000 travelers worldwide. Neither passports nor visas could be issued or verified while the system was down.

Related: You Can’t Plan for a Disaster, but You Can Have a Disaster Plan

The State Department actually had the data backed up already, but the system itself was not.

3. Ma.Gnolia Folds Due to Catastrophic Data Loss

Remember that 43% mentioned earlier?

You might not remember Ma.Gnolia, a bookmark sharing website, but it was doing quite well in early 2009.

Users could publicly or privately bookmark a site for later viewing, and all without a local save. That meant you could access your bookmarks from any device. The company suffered a major data loss that took the entire service offline. Faced with days of expensive recovery activities and a major reputation hit, the company never recovered and folded shortly thereafter.

Avoiding Data Loss

The longer your systems are down, the more money you’re paying your employees to sit and wait. Data loss also means you’ll bring in less money due to the downtime that accompanies it.

Data loss isn’t reserved for big companies. It’s common, and it can happen at any time. Avoid being a member of the data loss brigade with a disaster and recovery plan that includes continuous backups and regular checks to ensure data integrity and recoverability.

Where do you get one of those, you ask?

Turn to your friendly neighborhood MSP, AppSolute. We’ve got what it takes to protect your data and keep your business running through the thick and thin.

5 Signs That It’s Time to Partner with a Managed Service Provider

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During the crucial growth stages of any business, it is an inevitable reality that internal team members will eventually start to feel the pressure of adapting to new processes that support the company’s ability to scale. For many departments, these feelings are short-lived. Other branches of the company may continue to struggle to meet the new demands of their organization.

So what is the first sign of growing pains that most companies experience?

Their IT team’s inability to keep up with the company’s changing infrastructure. Due to this fact, many organizations have explored hiring managed IT services to help design a more sustainable IT solution for their corporate growth strategy.

But how do you know if your business is ready to invest in a different IT solution?

Here are 5 signs to look for that might mean it’s time to partner with a managed service provider.

Your Network is Constantly Experiencing Downtime

One of the first signs to show that your IT department is falling behind is constant network downtime. This becomes extremely costly over time since a company’s revenue, and credibility are directly aligned with their ability to have fully operational systems in place.

That’s no longer the case when you partner with a managed service provider. Together with them, you’re able to drastically reduce your downtime by maintaining a proactive IT environment.

The Business is Looking for Better Cost Savings

Consistently relying on an in-house team to manage your IT support can be a costly venture. Companies may eventually find that pulling resources away from their core competencies is a wasteful and inefficient way to achieve their priorities.

Managed service providers employ a team of experienced IT professionals. These professionals know exactly how to develop the systems your company needs while reducing the costs for implementation.

In-house Teams are Understaffed

As businesses scale, it may be challenging to balance hiring budgets between multiple departments. This issue may cause in-house IT teams to become understaffed and incapable of working at full efficiency.

By using a managed service provider, you’ll have a sizeable on-demand group at your service for significantly lower costs than hiring dedicated bodies. These teams are available to help your team 24/7  and can address issues outside of your core operational hours.

You Need More Advanced Technology and Better Cloud Solutions

Outdated databases and inadequate software is the grim reality for companies that have outgrown their systems. Upgrading newer technology and migrating to cloud-based systems can prove to be overwhelming for understaffed IT departments. It’s where the help of managed services can shine.

Service providers can ensure your systems are always up-to-date and that large-scale digital transformations go off without a hitch for the organization.

You Need Better System Security

In today’s fast-changing digital landscape, more and more importance is being put on better system security to protect companies digital assets. Keeping up with the latest cybersecurity threats and system recovery methods can be overwhelming for many organizations looking to balance this importance.

This is where managed service providers can provide a tremendous benefit.

Professional IT teams are well-versed and up-to-date with the latest cyberthreats and security countermeasures. They help ensure your systems are protected around the clock. They also proactively prepare for data recovery solutions in the event of possible breaches and catastrophic outages.

 

Choosing to outsource your IT needs can provide many benefits for organizations looking to scale their operations. By partnering with a managed service provider when early signs of inefficiencies develop, your company can benefit from the cost savings and professional experience they provide while ensuring your systems are securely maintained for years to come.

 

5 Signs You Need an ERP System

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Keeping your business running smoothly requires using technology that supports automation and quick communication. For that, there are ERP systems that can help you achieve these goals.

But before you dive into the world of ERP, you have to know when it’s time to jump.

Here are 5 signs that will tell you exactly when you need an ERP system.

1. Your core business processes are struggling

From accounting to sales, you need to ensure your core business processes and their respective departments are efficient. But if your core departments aren’t using tools that boost their efficiency, they can struggle to operate at optimal levels.

It’s not just internal processes that suffer – it can also adversely impact the customer experience.

Related: What Does an MSP Actually Do?

On the other hand, ERP systems give you the power to facilitate operational efficiency. You can implement ERP systems that can help automate processes and provide a quick way for teams to monitor progress using a streamlined dashboard all from one database.

With a workflow improvement, you can supercharge your efficiency and make your customers happier than ever before.

2. You’ve got limited access to company data

The ability to access crucial information from your company anywhere at any time is essential for all employees that work in the field. It’s especially true for salespeople who invest several hours of the day in negotiating deals and providing in-person sales consultations to business prospects.

However, if your sales team lacks mobile access to company data, then you’re limiting their potential to nurture their leads. As remote work becomes an increasingly popular way of business, it’s important to have mobile functionality so that your team can access all the information that they need.

Related: 8 Business Benefits of Having Managed Services

You can get this done by taking advantage of an ERP system that leverages cloud technology. For instance, your sales team will be able to track the status of a sales order while on-the-go from their smartphone device or tablet using a mobile powered-ERP system. That helps them save time and make better decisions based on real-time information.

3. You’re using several software programs for different reasons across different departments

When your sales team finalizes a deal, your accounting team should be updated with the information as soon as possible so they can keep track of each expense for the month.

But if both departments are inputting and gathering information from different software programs to fulfill different tasks within each business process, then your operational efficiency will tank.

Why?

Because each software program lacks direct communication. Moreover, updating and upgrading each software program can be time consuming. Conversely, an ERP system allows you to streamline your business processes and enhance operational efficiency thanks to its ability to work on a software platform that’s integrated using a single database.

4. Your IT support is too slow

When you have several departments using a variety of software applications, it can transform support for IT-related issues into an ordeal. Your organization will require more staff members and resources to constantly address problems with each individual program.

If you’re not careful, you can end up stretching your IT support thin, causing extended downtime, and even affecting your overall less productivity.

Instead, an ERP system can help simplify IT support by helping IT managers assess issues from one central location. This helps to facilitate quick and agile operations and increase business productivity.

5. You can’t scale with current systems

If you want to grow your business, you have to use the tools that will help you get tasks done in innovative ways. But if you’re using legacy software systems that take a long time to complete tasks, it can hinder your business growth.

Related: 5 Ways Managed IT Services Help Growing Businesses

With ERP systems, you can easily scale your business. You have the option to buy the resources you need and customize the system to evolve as your business does.

Have ERP questions? We have ERP answers

Whether your accounting is struggling or you lack mobility, you have to understand when it’s time to get an ERP. By knowing the signs, you can help streamline your business processes to enhance operational efficiency and your overall profits.

What Does an MSP Actually Do?

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In the IT world, MSP stands for “managed service provider“. It’s a fairly generic term, so if you’re a bit confused about what an MSP actually does… you’re not alone.

The basic answer is that an MSP manages the IT infrastructure & systems for a business. However, they can do so in many different ways.

Here are some of the important specific services most MSPs offer.

1. Tech Support

The first thing that comes to mind for many businesses when thinking of IT is tech support – and that instinct is correct. An MSP should offer 24/7 tech support to keep your business up and running at its finest.

Even if your MSP is not in near your location or even your time zone, you should make sure that this is something they offer. It helps to keep your website, online databases, and IT infrastructure up and running at all times. Downtime results in lost productivity for your business and employees, so this aspect is of the utmost importance.

2. Recovery

You hope that a big crash would never happen, but in the event that it does, an MSP should help you get back up and running quickly. That doesn’t just include getting your system back up and running in a timely manner. It also means having reliable backups of the information that you need to keep your business going.

Whether you lose your data from a cyberattack or from a disaster, swift recovery is key. The more time you can’t access your data, the more your business suffers reputationally and financially.

3. Security

Digital security is now more important than ever. Hackers are exposing new weaknesses in systems all the time. Your MSP should stay on top of all the latest security updates and make sure your hardware and software are up to date, so that security updates are put in place as soon as they come out.

Additionally, managed service providers should perform general IT support security tasks like installing firewalls and anti-virus software to protect your data.

4. Strategic Future Planning

A good provider of MSP services will keep up with the latest technological trends and “futureproof” your infrastructure. They’ll know what’s just around the corner and will strategically plan craft a technology roadmap to account for tech evolution.

Your current IT systems likely aren’t going to be there forever. A great MSP seeks the smartest system upgrades that could help your business function even more smoothly as your needs change.

They’ll make the path to IT upgrades easy and clear to see.

5. Cloud Services

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term around. Though it may seem like just another technology buzzword, cloud technology innovation is really the future. It’s less costly, more flexible, and allows your team to access information easily from anywhere in the world.

It’s also more environmentally friendly because it creates less physical hardware waste. An MSP will help you get your data into the cloud for easy access and safe storage.

Small businesses can do these things on their own, either by training existing staff or hiring a dedicated IT staff. However, working with an MSP saves time, money and other resources, allowing you to focus on other aspects of running your business.

 

5 Ways Managed IT Services Help Growing Businesses

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Growing businesses face a multitude of challenges. From managing change to tackling network challenges, the myriad details of keeping an SMB healthy can appear insurmountable.

One strategy that can help relieve the pressure of juggling technology concerns and containing expenses is turning to managed IT services to help support your business.

It’s an increasingly popular option for SMBs. The global managed IT services market grew to $149.1B and $166.7B in 2016 and 2017, respectively. By 2021, it’s expected to grow to $256.5 billion worldwide, with more than 39% ($94.5 billion) concentrated in the United States. This increasingly rapid expansion attests to the strength of managed IT services as an effective solution.

Here are a few ways these versatile, affordable services have been able to help growing organizations meet their goals.

Managing Costs

Perhaps chief among the benefits of managed IT services for smaller businesses is cost control. In addition to making IT costs predictable, improving system integration, and maximizing cloud solutions, managed IT services helps businesses cut back on labor costs associated with hiring and training internal IT staff.

Just remember not to “bargain shop” for an MSP (managed service provider), as CIO puts it, as a proven track record should always be your priority.

Enhancing Security

Security is an issue at the forefront for most businesses, particularly those handling clients’ personal information. One mishap and a good portion of an SMB’s data could fall into the wrong hands. That could potentially cause irrevocable harm to an organization.

Managed IT services devotes the time, expertise and resources to help your business improve its security efforts and stay ahead of potential security concerns. From firewall configuration and anti-malware software to network monitoring and education on cybersecurity best practices, MSPs focus on full-service protection.

Mitigating Risk

Closely related to boosting security is an MSP’s capacity for mitigating the risks of downtime and data loss from potential system outages. Disaster recovery plans are designed to help your network bounce back from natural disasters, data breaches and catastrophic tech failures that can disrupt operations. DR plans are part and parcel of most managed IT services plans. They’re critical for maintaining business continuity under extreme and unexpected circumstances.

Scaling for Change

Managing technology resources as an organization evolves and grows is an especially challenging aspect of running a business. Overestimating need can lead to wasteful spending of critical funds. Underestimating can leave you without adequate support for employees and customers.

Managed IT services help simplify this balancing act by supplying exactly what you might need based on your business demands. Whatever you need more or less of, MSPs scale your service to accommodate.

Maintaining Competitive Edge

The constant changes in technology can prove too much for any organization to keep pace with. That’s especially true when growth demands focus on making your business better and beating the competition.

Dedicated and knowledgeable Managed IT service providers can help make sense of technological shifts, recommending and implementing what works best for your business situation without additional legwork and distraction for your team.

 

You Can’t Plan for a Disaster, but You Can Have a Disaster Plan

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You Can’t Plan for a Disaster, but You Can Have a Disaster Plan

Disaster PlanA disaster can happen at any time and, for businesses, they usually happen when it’s least expected. Natural disasters, fires, or data breaches can wreak havoc for a busy business and the disruption can cause a ripple effect, impacting production, customers, vendors and other operations. Having a disaster plan is critical for maintaining an appropriate level of business continuity and successfully making it through the disaster.

Businesses grow and change and the disaster plans of yesterday may not adequately protect a business during a disaster today. According to “How Small Businesses Are Taking Advantage of the Latest Trends in Disaster Recovery,” posted by Roy Castleman on TheVarGuy.com, there are several new ways  businesses are protecting operations during crisis situations and the latest trends in disaster recovery may strengthen your own disaster plans. Here are several factors to consider when putting your disaster recovery plan together or updating an existing plan.

  1. Know what to focus on first: In the event of a disaster, it will be nearly impossible to get business back up to 100% all at once. Determine what operations should stay running or which data you need to protect or recover from backups first. Estimate the amount of time you need to perform these tasks and how you’ll go about it.
  2. Consider the cloud: The use of cloud technology for disaster recovery is increasing amongst businesses for a number of different reasons. A hybrid cloud can quickly replicate data from either on-premise or offsite data centers. In addition, upon disaster, the cloud can be used to run operations until production services become functional and synchronized with data in the cloud.
  3. Social media: Popular social networks, like Facebook or Twitter, can be used to share information with employees, stockholders and other business partners during a disaster.
  4. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS): There are businesses that can provide disaster recovery services, supporting small and mid-sized businesses with plans and guiding them through a disaster.
    The businesses that prepare recovery plans are more likely to come out of a disaster faster and intact. Position your business to weather a potential disaster by having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan. Contact AppSolute Consulting Group to learn more about preparing for disaster by having the right tools and technology in place.By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York

The Smart Way to Outsource IT and Strengthen Business

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The Smart Way to Outsource IT and Strengthen Business

Successful businesses rely on some form of technology to manage operations and solve common problems. However, as technology continues to advance, it can become more expensive and introduce new challenges to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In these cases, businesses can consider outsourcing IT to reputable partners that can manage their IT solutions for them, at a fraction of the on-premises price.

As discussed in “Investing In An IT Support System: SMB Tips For Outsourcing,” posted by Mark Wensell on SMBNow.com, the need for efficient technology can quickly become a distraction for a growing SMB. In addition to the expense of modern business systems, companies often need skilled IT professionals to keep those systems working at peak capacity. Studies show that business technology spending already consumes over half of new project purchases and is set to increase by 10% or more per year. Here are a few reasons to consider outsourcing IT to strengthen your business and tips for doing it successfully.

Partner with a Software Provider You Can Trust

  1. Reduce the burden on staff: A growing business is a busy business that needs all of their people focused on strategic plans, goals and fulfilling customer needs. Outsourcing IT can reduce the distraction on your  IT team and allows them the time to focus on other strategic improvements.
  2. Save time and money: Cloud-based solutions offer a cost-effectiveness that’s hard to beat. There is no expensive hardware to install, servers to manage and updates are completed behind-the-scenes with little to no business disruption. You can also scale functionality and users according to immediate or anticipated needs.
  3. Increase security: Your software partner can provide cutting-edge security features that can, in most cases, be stronger than what a SMB is able to assemble. Intrusion detection, firewalls, spyware and virus protection, filtering and other threat management features can increase security, protecting customer and proprietary data, without over-taxing your IT team or budget.

When working with an outside partner to manage your IT needs, choose a provider that is experienced with modern business solutions, has experience within your industry sector, and takes the time to understand and respond to your unique business needs. This is a long-term partnership, so trust and understanding are keys to success. Contact AppSolute Consulting Group for more insight and guidance with outsourcing IT and strengthening your business in the process.
By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York.

ERP is About to Get Friendlier and Smarter

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ERP is About to Get Friendlier…and Smarter

erp get friendlier smarterEnterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are known for providing good information to key business units. However, it’s not often known for being user-friendly, especially in comparison to modern cloud-based apps. As ERP moves toward mobile devices, it’s important that the user interface not only accommodate popular smartphone platforms, but also be more user-friendly and smarter.

As suggested in “ERP software gets a makeover,” posted by Bruce Harpham on CIO.com, modern ERP solutions support the operations essential to a business’s success. For example, the accounting team can manage financial operations and the supply chain team can manage inventory and vendor information needed to fulfill customer needs. While most ERP systems have been able to keep up with industry trends, offering features aligned with new business practices, they haven’t kept up with the ease of use that many consumer apps have mastered. As many business leaders have experienced, cumbersome systems can frustrate users and lead to poor user adoption. Without consistent and proper use, businesses then lose out on much of the value that ERP brings to the table.

Improve User Adoption and Optimize ERP with Smarter User Interface
In recent years, ERP vendors have been making efforts to update the user interface. Cloud ERP and mobile ERP are trending, offering a next generation ERP that can be used on mobile devices, like smartphones and wearables. Improving the user interface doesn’t necessarily mean an entire IT system overhaul. On the contrary, Sage Software offers a variety of dashboards, workflows and other integrations that can streamline the ERP system you have in place. Sage is also partnering with other technology enterprises, like Salesforce, and adding specialized capabilities within their ERP products. Less switching between applications and more efficient workflows can improve the productivity of your employees and provide more value from your ERP system.

Businesses can take steps to improve the user interface within an existing ERP system by outlining how certain tasks are completed, in what order, and by using the employees that complete those tasks. Insight from the front line can lead to the most efficient workflows or forms and eliminate wasteful practices. Then, you can work with a vendor to customize the dashboards, features or functions that further optimize your ERP system.

Contact AppSolute Consulting Group for guidance with making your ERP solution friendlier and smarter to improve productivity and get the most out of your investment. By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York

Meet The AppSolute Experts

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The team at AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC includes some of the most talented and skilled business and IT experts in the industry. Many of our employees have experience in business, accounting, project management, and other areas in addition to software and technology. This experience offers unparalleled insight into the unique needs of our clients. Not only can we guide you to finding the best technology for your company, we can provide the support you need to ensure your systems remain aligned with your business needs.

Take a moment and meet our team:
Founding partners: Bruce Baron, David Hoffman, and Eric Grasman
Bob Nowatzky, Sage X3
Susan Chase, Senior Systems Analyst and Project Manager
Viktor Zelenko, Senior Consultant
Michael Ehrlich, Director of Network Services
Vincent Mantia, Senior Network Engineer

The AppSolute team of experts will partner with your business and guide you toward choosing the modern technology you need to support your growing enterprise. Our approach starts with learning how you do business, we discuss common disruptions or challenges that you currently face, and your goals or mission for the future of your company. With this information, we can then offer several options for onsite or cloud solutions that address both your challenges and can support your goals. Once the technology is chosen, our team can deploy the new system, train your employees, and provide as much follow-up support as you need. We also offer guidance or support with routine maintenance and software updates to keep your new technology working at peak capacity. Our experts also provide help-desk support, custom programming, system security, and other software support services. You are just a phone call or email away from receiving the information and guidance that you need, when you need it.

Contact the consultants at AppSolute when you are ready to upgrade your business solutions, replacing inefficient, outdated systems, with modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. We will be happy to set up a meeting to discuss how today’s technology can improve productivity, boost profitability, and support continued growth.

By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, New York Based Microsoft, Accumatica and Sage Partner

The Difference Between Accounting Software And ERP Solutions

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Businesses rely on accurate financial management and many describe finances as the very lifeblood of the company.  Many decisions are based on current financial figures, which is why reliable accounting software is such a necessity.  However, over time basic accounting software no longer fits the bill, so to speak, and an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution makes more sense.

Entry-level accounting software, such as QuickBooks, can work successfully for a time.  These solutions offer basic financial management activities such as monitoring income and expenses, populating bank statements, and paying bills.  You may be able to create invoices and print financial reports; however, there isn’t much more you can get out of entry-level accounting software.  A secondary problem often presents itself some time later – basic software can only handle a limited volume of data and a limited number of users.  With growth, your business generates more and more data that can quickly bog down the software, making it difficult to process data and reports.  Additional delays can occur as employees have to wait to enter or retrieve information needed to make important business decisions.  Before basic accounting software begins to stifle growth, make the change to a stronger business management solution.

You can manage all of your business operations with a modern ERP solution including financial transactions, supply chain and inventory, manufacturing and distribution operations, human resources and payroll activities, and other core business processes.  You can enter, access, and analyze data with greater efficiency when it’s located within a single, centralized solution.  In addition, data is seamlessly shared between processes. For example, you can create a proposal or contract for a customer and turn that data into a purchase order, and later, an invoice.  This and other time-saving automations reduces the time spent handling data and improves the productivity of your team.  Powerful ERP solutions also offer business intelligence and reporting features that make it easier to identify trends, uncover ways to control spending or reduce waste, and further improve business processes.
As your business grows, you need more than basic accounting software.  Choose a solution that can provide the insight you need to make data-driven decisions, improve productivity and profitability, and support superior customer service.

Contact AppSolute for more information about making the switch from entry-level accounting software to modern ERP.

By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Accumatica and Sage Partner out of New York