FAQs
Managed IT Services FAQs
While outsourcing your IT services guarantees one-off service on an as-needed basis, managed services is an ongoing partnership that offers a much more proactive approach. At Ergon, our goal with managed IT services is to not wait until something breaks to fix it. Instead, by preemptively managing your IT infrastructure, we can fix IT issues before they cost your business unnecessary downtime.
Managed IT services provide significant peace of mind for business owners, while mitigating disruptions and downtime. Additionally, business owners tend to get more for their money the longer they work with a single Managed Services Provider. Why? Because the more intimately the MSP gets to know your company’s systems and infrastructure, the faster and more accurate they’ll be in preventing IT-related disruptions, or in addressing them if they do happen.
Any industry that requires the efficient function of a large or complex IT infrastructure can benefit greatly from managed IT services. For example, industries such as healthcare or finance are highly regulated: thus, they require a seamlessly-operating IT system to both keep them compliant, and protect the sensitive data of their customers. And in the manufacturing industry, integrating supply chain and optimizing logistics are huge challenges that are made easier by an MSP. If you’re wondering how your own business might benefit from working with your own MSP, just call.
An MSP replaces the break-fix model of IT services with an ongoing partnership focused on the long-term health of your entire IT infrastructure. This means a lot of maintenance and preventative measures, but leads to less downtime overall. If disruptions do occur, you benefit from the attention of a dedicated IT professional who knows your entire system inside and out, leading to faster and more accurate solutions.
Ergon provides network monitoring, 24/7/365 Helpdesk support, data backup & continuity solutions, and a selection of 80+ custom projects that we can implement depending on the needs of your business. If you’d like to know more, click here.
If you’re tired of the break-fix model of IT services and want the stability and peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a dedicated team of IT professionals safeguarding your IT systems, you may want to hire an MSP. Additionally, if your business is growing and you’re adding machines to the company’s IT infrastructure, you may benefit from the expertise of an MSP with the time and resources to keep everything running smoothly.
Choosing the right MSP starts with a frank assessment of your network and IT system needs. How much time & money do you spend addressing IT issues each year? How much do these issues cost you in lost opportunity? Additionally, the complexity of your current IT infrastructure is worth considering. Are you adding more complexity to it as your grow? If so, how are you prepared to deal with that? Every business is different, which is why we offer a free consultation to walk through your challenges before we present solutions. If you’re interested, schedule your free network assessment today.
Cloud Computing Services — FAQ’s
Cloud computing services help businesses to save significant operational costs by providing access to all necessary data or systems to their employees simultaneously, regardless of location. This added flexibility increases efficiency, allowing a business to standardize formats and security protocols and save time. Additionally, cloud computing offers business owners an unprecedented ability to collect and analyze data about every aspect of their business, which can aid in crafting effective strategy
Any industry that benefits from instant access to large amounts of data at scale is a great candidate for the benefits of cloud computing. For example, industries like healthcare, finance, or law are all helped greatly by the ability to access a significant number of files reliably and securely. Businesses that require accurately tracking quickly-changing data sets across diverse locations — think manufacturing or real estate — are also great candidates for cloud-based services.
While the efficacy of cloud computing may vary depending on the industry, overall its business benefits are undeniable. Cloud resources increase collaboration and flexibility among employees, and provide standardized quality control that supports scalability. Along with the overall savings in IT costs, it’s no wonder that business owners who’ve embraced the cloud have reported a near-20% increase in growth.
Cloud computing creates value largely by increasing efficiencies and promoting scale, ie. allowing a single worker to accomplish more with fewer resources. It also offers small businesses the considerable upside of powerful cloud-based computing tools, without any of the overhead required to run those tools (facilities, utilities, hardware, server costs, etc.). Cloud computing also provides a lot of flexibility; whether a business is booming or busting, the owner can take advantage of flexible cost structures to limit their exposure, downsize, and save money.
A business should move to the cloud if doing so will help it save time, save money, or embrace the demands of an evolving marketplace. Employing remote or hybrid employees, deploying cutting-edge technologies at scale, or seeking granular insight into operations to help inform strategy are all great reasons to use cloud-based computing services. Additionally, a business seeking to test new technologies without spending the considerable overhead necessary to do so in-house can absolutely benefit from offloading those costs to a cloud-based service instead.
The short answer is, a lot! While the impact of the global pandemic has accelerated the shift toward cloud computing services, even back in 2019 over 90% of businesses used some form of public cloud computing service. In contrast, the number of businesses still running their software off their own data centers (vs. cloud-based servers) is set to shrink to just 32% of all applications in 2022, down by half from 2019.
Cloud computing largely replaces the need for businesses to house and operate their software in their own corporate data centers. Accordingly, this also largely eliminates the need for costly personal computing hardware and expensive software rollouts and upgrades. This streamlining of operations extends to data storage and recovery as well.
Cyber Security Services — FAQ’s
In a world where business increasingly moves online and digital life overlaps “real” life, the short answer is: everyone. As more industries digitize faster and faster, the safety of the critical information they need to operate each day becomes more and more important. Industries such as government operations, defense, and critical infrastructure require the highest levels of cyber security, while compliance requirements affect the security measures taken by many consumer-facing businesses. Cyber-savvy organizations are also increasingly expecting more from their vendors and partners when it comes to cyber security — after all, whether intentional or not, the reality is that “insider threats” can be a considerable danger if not handled correctly.
With the average rate of cyber attacks pegged at 1 every 39 seconds, it’s safe to say that very few companies remain unaffected by cyber security threats. In fact, a recent study found that 87% of cybersecurity decision-makers had fallen victim to successful cyber attacks in the past three years.
Cyber security solves several important and very obvious problems, like the security of your business’s information, systems, equipment and records. However, it also solves a much less obvious issue: employee awareness and training. The “human factor” is a significant cyber security risk, responsible for nearly half of some companies’ data breaches. This is why training your staff on the basics of cyber security is so essential.
While the median cost of a single cyber attack isn’t incredibly shocking — rising from $10k per attack in 2021 to $18k in 2022 — the cost for a successful one is much The average cost of a data breach worldwide hit a new high in 2022 at $4.35 million USD, while the national average here in America soared to a new high of $9.44 million. Globally, cybercrime isn’t slowing down anytime soon either: its price tag is expected to hit $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
While cyber attacks can hit any number of businesses across any industry, the data reveals that in 2021, attacks targeted education/research the most, averaging 1605 attacks/week, an increase of 75% YoY. Since 2009, however, the healthcare industry has experienced the most successful data breaches, and has paid the highest average cost per breach.
