Cybersecurity Consulting in Long Island: Navigating Digital Threats With Expert MSP Solutions

litechsol on January 18, 2024

Cybersecurity has swiftly moved from a back-office concern to a frontline imperative for businesses, especially in the dynamic environment of Long Island and NYC metro area. For midsize businesses in Long Island, NY, and beyond, understanding the role of Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) and Managed IT Services Providers (MSPs) in safeguarding digital assets is crucial. This article discusses the challenges and innovative solutions MSPs provide in cybersecurity consulting, focusing on the current and evolving needs of businesses.

Understanding the Vital Role of MSPs in Cybersecurity

In the bustling business environment of Long Island, NY, MSPs have become indispensable allies in fortifying businesses against digital threats. These cybersecurity consulting experts bring a combination of knowledge, technology, and strategy that is essential for comprehensive digital protection. 

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Comprehensive Cybersecurity Consulting Services in Long Island, NY

MSPs, including those specializing as managed security service providers, offer a holistic suite of services that encompass everything from conducting regular security audits to providing real-time monitoring and rapid incident response. This ensures that businesses are not only protected against current threats but are also prepared for emerging risks.

Outsourcing IT Services for Enhanced Security

By outsourcing IT services to MSPs, businesses can leverage the advanced expertise and technologies that these providers offer. This arrangement not only enhances the security posture of a company but also allows internal teams to focus on core business functions, safe in the knowledge that their cybersecurity is in expert hands.

Customized Cybersecurity Solutions

Recognizing that no two businesses are the same, MSPs in Long Island provide customized cybersecurity services tailored to the specific needs of each client. Whether it’s protecting sensitive customer data for an e-commerce site or securing a robust IT infrastructure for a financial service provider, MSPs offer solutions that are as unique as the businesses they protect.

Staying Ahead of Cyber Threats

MSPs are continually updating their strategies and tools to stay ahead of cybercriminals. This includes employing cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning for predictive threat analysis and employing advanced cybersecurity consulting services to safeguard businesses against sophisticated cyber-attacks. 

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Cybersecurity Threats and How MSPs Counter Them

Cybersecurity threats are diverse and ever-changing. MSPs employ a variety of strategies to protect businesses against these threats.

Managed Security Service Provider Expertise

MSPs, acting as managed security service providers, utilize their specialized expertise to detect and mitigate a wide array of cyber threats. This includes safeguarding against malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and more. They keep businesses ahead of cybercriminals by staying updated on the latest threat intelligence and cybersecurity trends.

Proactive Monitoring and Incident Response

MSPs provide continuous monitoring of your IT infrastructure, ensuring that potential threats are identified and addressed swiftly. In the event of a security breach, rapid incident response minimizes damage and helps in quick recovery. This proactive approach is vital in a landscape where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated.

Tailored Cybersecurity Strategies

Recognizing the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by businesses in Long Island, MSPs offer customized strategies. This might include implementing advanced firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and comprehensive cybersecurity services that are designed to meet the specific needs of each business.

Educating and Empowering Employees

MSPs also play a crucial role in educating staff about cybersecurity best practices. By providing training on recognizing and responding to potential threats, MSPs empower employees to be an active part of the business’s cybersecurity defense. 

Top Benefits of Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

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Secure Your Digital Assets With LI Tech Solutions in Long Island and NYC Area

Effective cybersecurity is a cornerstone of business resilience. That’s where LI Tech Solutions shines. As Long Island’s leading managed IT services provider, we specialize in comprehensive cybersecurity consulting, from data protection to cutting-edge cloud infrastructure.

We’re committed to crafting customized cybersecurity strategies that safeguard your business’s digital landscape. Reach out today and take a crucial step toward a secure, resilient digital future with LI Tech Solutions.

Best Practices for Optimizing Your IT Solutions in Long Island and NYC

litechsol on June 5, 2023

As a Long Island, NY business owner, you know that IT solution optimization is more essential than ever. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us learned to do business in different ways. As many enterprises transitioned to remote work, we saw the value of capable, efficient IT solutions like never before. Now that the crisis is over, we’re left with the task of re-evaluating former practices and looking for new ways to achieve IT solution optimization on Long Island, NY.

Why Is IT Solution Optimization So Essential?

Why take the trouble to optimize your IT solutions? Quite simply, the health of your entire business can rise or fall on the success of your IT team. But striking the right balance between the costs of IT support and the team’s performance is not always easy. 

Interested in finding the best practices to optimize your IT solutions on Long Island, NYC? The good news is that an MSP company like LI Tech Solutions can be the answer you’re looking for. Keep reading to discover more about IT solution optimization and the best practices you can employ today!

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What Does It Mean to Optimize Your IT Solutions?

If you’re interested in IT solution optimization here on Long Island, NY, you probably want an effective IT team at an affordable cost. At its core, optimization means having your business needs met, while getting the best possible value for the funds you spend on your IT solutions. Is that really possible? With a managed service provider like LI Tech Solutions, the answer is yes!

The Changing Face of Optimized IT Solutions 

The best practices for Long Island IT solutions are rapidly changing. IT is a constantly evolving field, and yesterday’s priorities aren’t always relevant today. Within the past few years, many employers have experienced a shift in the needs and expectations their IT partners must meet. Let’s take a look at a few of these growing concerns.

How to optimize your IT solutions: Understand today’s employees 

Over the past few years, employers on Long Island (and across the country) have been prioritizing their employees satisfaction with every aspect of their work lives. Trends like “quiet quitting” and “career cushioning” reflect the new face of employee-employer relationships. It’s important to understand that today’s employees value workplace satisfaction more than ever before. If your employees don’t feel supported and respected, they will be less productive or go elsewhere. 

Optimizing your IT solutions to improve internal customer service

What do the shifts in employees’ relationship to work have to do with your Long Island IT solutions? Quite a lot, it turns out! Gone are the days when rude, uncommunicative IT professionals were acceptable. Your IT professionals will likely be interacting with your employees on a regular basis. If they’re unprofessional or unhelpful your employees will take notice.

Even if your IT support team is friendly, they can create problems if they’re hard to reach or slow to act. Your employees expect a seamless, timely response when they need IT support. Choosing the right Long Island, NY IT partners is vital for if you want to implement optimal IT solutions. A managed service provider like LI Tech Solutions can guarantee the professional, responsive support you need.

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Optimizing your IT solutions to create meaningful work opportunities

Too many Long Island businesses make the mistake of hiring full-time IT support when they cannot provide them with an optimal work experience. If working for your company’s IT team is not a strong career move, you’re unlikely to attract quality candidates. If you have full-time IT employees, do they spend most of their time simply waiting for problems to occur? Do they have opportunities for advancement within your organization? If you need to revisit your IT solution, LI Tech Solutions could be the answer. Our IT partners are available to help your organization succeed, without joining your staff full-time. 

Optimizing Your IT Practices to Prioritize Cybersecurity and Data Protection in Long Island NYC

The importance of enterprise data protection is growing exponentially. A key aspect of IT solution optimization on Long Island, NY is preventing cyberattacks before they occur. Business is the US sector most often targeted by data breaches. When your cybersecurity is breached, the costs can severely disrupt your business operations.

Did you know that around 68% of all US companies have paid ransoms as a result of ransomware attacks? Clearly, it’s more cost-effective to get the IT support necessary to prevent data loss before it occurs. LI Tech Solutions provides highly efficient, affordable solutions to protect your data from accidental loss and cybersecurity threats.

Optimizing Your IT Solutions: Consider Moving to the Cloud

Remote and mobile work became the norm for many NY businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, your employees still expect the flexibility and agility that the cloud provides. If your enterprise needs accessibility, efficiency, and the ability to innovate faster, cloud computing can deliver. With LI Tech Solutions’ innovative cloud services, your business can experience the win-win of cloud computing. Our service offerings include:

  • Private clouds
  • Public clouds
  • Hybrid
  • Multi-clouds

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Optimize Your IT Solutions by Choosing the Best Software for Your Business Needs

Software has always evolved rapidly. Today, innovation in business software is happening faster than ever before. Many Long Island companies find themselves using outdated software, because selecting new software can be overwhelming. The transition to a new software app can also create temporary challenges. However, these will be outweighed in the long run by the benefits of choosing the right software for your business needs. Optimizing your IT solutions and practices on Long Island often starts with your willingness to be flexible in a rapidly evolving environment. 

Best practice: Select your software with professional help

What to optimize your IT solutions? Make sure to consult with trusted Long Island IT professionals about the best software to meet your needs. Rest assured–LI Tech Solutions’ Hosted Services can handle the complexity of the software you need.

Why a MSP Gives You the Best of Both Worlds

Often, working with a Long Island managed service provider is your best option if you want to optimize your IT solutions. This option allows you to partner with qualified professionals, without the costs of adding full-time staff to your payroll.

Choosing the Right MSP and Avoiding Pitfalls

However, choosing the right Long Island, NY MSP is vital for optimizing your IT practices. Partnering with IT professionals who are unequipped to help your business succeed–or don’t care about your success–can have devastating consequences. When choosing an MSP, keep an eye out for red flags such as:

  • Limited references
  • A very narrow range of service options
  • A lack of interest in your business’s needs
  • A reactive approach that focuses on “putting out fires” instead of preventing them

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LI Tech Solutions: The Best Long Island, NY MSP for IT Solution Optimization

What is the best practice for optimizing your Long Island, NY IT solutions? The first step is partnering with LI Tech Solutions. We’ll handle your full array of IT needs, from hardware to software to networking. As industry leaders, we can provide peace of mind to small and medium sized businesses who want to leave their IT support needs in capable hands. We serve a broad spectrum of industries, including:

When you partner with LI Tech Solutions, you’re on the road to the best IT solution optimization in Long Island, NY. Let us handle your tech needs, so you can focus on running your business. Call (516)210-6400 today, and get started with a free consultation and technology assessment.

Enterprise Data Protection Solutions for Small and Medium Businesses in Long Island, NYC

litechsol on March 28, 2023

As a small or medium business owner, you know that data security is essential for your organization’s success. However, as your business grows, it becomes more and more challenging to protect your data. Sadly, small and medium business owners face data breaches all too often. In fact, they’re involved in about 43% of all data breaches. Unfortunately, if you fail to set up adequate enterprise data protection for small and medium businesses, you can end up facing significant costs.

To avoid a disaster, it’s essential to find the best enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island; many MSP companies like LI Tech Solutions can help. Read on to learn more about the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses, and why they’re so important!

What Is Enterprise Data Protection for Long Island Businesses?

Enterprise data is information that users in your organization share. It might be shared across multiple sites or multiple devices. Enterprise data protection refers to practices, policies, and technologies that protect your data from being lost, stolen or corrupted.  

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Why You Need Enterprise Data Protection for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Long Island, NYC

The success of your business rises and falls on data. As technology advances, this statement becomes more and more true. That’s why enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island are so vital. Unfortunately, your small or medium-sized business faces many potential data security threats. These tend to fall into the following categories.

Bad Actors

Bad actors are people who want to exploit your enterprise data for personal gain. This could include external threats, like disgruntled customers or former employees, competitors, or hacking groups. They could also come from within your organization. Your employees likely have access to sensitive data, which can be stolen, ransomed or sold without your knowledge.

Unintentional Loss of Data

Unfortunately, your data can also be compromised by accident. Software can become corrupted, hardware can fail, or a power outage can cause data to be lost. Employees who fail to follow proper procedures can cause data to be lost through carelessness. For example, failure to shut down systems correctly or maintain hardware properly can lead to costly data loss.

Natural Disasters

When your data is stored on hardware, it’s vulnerable to physical threats. Fires, floods, windstorms or thunderstorms, earthquakes, and power outages can damage hardware and cause data to be lost. FEMA reports that between 40% and 60% of all small businesses are unable to recover after a major natural disaster.  

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The High Costs of Inadequate Enterprise Data Protection for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Long Island, NYC

When your enterprise data is compromised, the price tag can be steep. On average, you can expect to pay around $160 for every individual record involved in the breach. When you consider how many separate records your organization probably holds, it’s clear that a data breach can be devastating. Costs are often incurred in many unexpected categories, but these are a few of the most common.

Security Experts

After a data breach, you’ll need to hire experts to help you continue operating and assess the damage done. You’ll also need help forming a plan to prevent a future crisis.

Legal Experts

Depending on the nature of the data breach, you may need legal counsel. You may face lawsuits, fines, or other legal consequences as a result of leaked data.

Damage Control

Your company’s reputation can be severely damaged by a data breach. You can hire a reputation management service to try to repair the damage, but this comes at a steep price.  

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Compliance and Enterprise Data Protection Solutions on Long Island, NYC

There are many reasons why finding the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses is so important. One important reason is that your business must remain in compliance with applicable regulations. When data is lost or breached, you may face costly consequences for violating these regulations.

GDPR Compliance

If your business is regulated by the General Data Protection Regulation, you need to handle your contacts’ personal information with special care. You’ll need to obtain, store, and manage customers’ information in appropriate ways to protect their privacy.

HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This federal law requires you to protect patients’ health information to maintain their privacy. Small businesses often struggle to remain in HIPAA compliance. However, failure to do so can lead to costly audits and fines.

Steps a Long Island MSP Can Take for Enterprise Data Protection

What is enterprise data protection for Long Island businesses? Your IT team is an important component of data protection. However, business owners are also responsible to help protect their data. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses.

Educate Employees Regularly

Do your employees know how to handle sensitive data? A single training session is not enough, since you periodically onboard new team members. You’ll need to schedule regular sessions to ensure your employees are up to date on policies.

Control Data Access

Does everyone in your organization have access to all your data? This creates unnecessary risk and raises the likelihood of a data breach. Make sure to provide data access only to those team members who truly need it.  

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Require Secure Authentication Practices

One of the best data protection solutions for Long Island businesses is to require robust authentication. Multi-factor authentication is a simple yet effective way to keep your data from falling into the wrong hands.

Clearly Define a Data Protection Policy

Your employees won’t be able to follow procedures if they’re not spelled out clearly. Effective enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island start with a clearly defined policy for all employees to follow. This should be a living document that develops over time, as your business grows and technology changes.

Finding the Best MSP Data Protection Solutions for Long Island Businesses

What is enterprise data protection for Long Island businesses? This term refers to a variety of steps you can take to keep your information safe. However, not all enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island are the same. You need the best possible service at an affordable price.

Cost-Effective Enterprise Data Protection for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Long Island, NYC

Hiring full-time IT staff for your business can be expensive. Instead, it’s best to have the flexibility to call your IT team when you need to. Partnering with LI Tech Solutions allows you to work with trusted professionals without adding more full-time staff to your payroll. Enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses can be much more affordable when you adopt this model!

Comprehensive

Hiring different IT professionals for different issues that arise can be frustrating. You need a team that does it all. LI Tech Solutions takes both proactive and reactive steps to protect your data, so we can handle all your data protection needs.  

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LI Tech Solutions: The Best MSP and Enterprise Data Protection Solutions on Long Island, NYC

Do you need enterprise data protection solutions on Long Island, NYC? When you partner with LI Tech Solutions, you get the best of both worlds. You’ll gain an IT partner to handle the comprehensive data protection needs of your business. However, you can avoid the cost of adding additional full-time staff to your team.

As industry leaders in enterprise data protection for small and medium sized businesses, we offer the peace of mind you need to run your business. We provide the best data protection solutions for Long Island NYC businesses, so you can focus on what you do best: running your business. Call 516.210.6400 today to set up a free consultation and technology assessment.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Transformation in Long Island, NY

litechsol on May 26, 2022

Every business needs to be prepared for the worst. It’s not enough to have a simple data backup app for your servers or customer data. You need to have a detailed disaster recovery plan and business continuity plan ready to go if disaster strikes.

In addition, it’s often wise to practice business continuity transformation. By constantly improving and evolving your business continuity plan, your organization will be better equipped to handle new cyber threats on the horizon.

But that’s a lot of responsibility and work, especially for smaller organizations that may not have the manpower to focus on all of these elements. Fortunately, managed IT service providers in Long Island can provide your enterprise with the disaster recovery and business continuity transformation services you need.

What Is a Business Continuity Plan?

Business continuity means ensuring that your business’s operations remain stable and available to customers during a disaster or IT issue. A good business continuity plan includes several key components:

  • One or more recovery personnel, who manage the recovery process to restore systems ASAP
  • A detailed recovery procedure to help restore key business functions and to maintain continuity of business operations as much as possible
  • A data backup plan and method. This allows the affected organization to recover valuable data and ensure its security seamlessly

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Business continuity plans are vital so that companies don’t lose customers during service or power outages and so they don’t lose control of security in the event of a cyberattack.

Business Continuity Transformation – Why It’s Critical

Business continuity transformation means applying new techniques, technologies, and strategies to expand your enterprise’s ability to stay operational in a crisis.

More specifically, business continuity transformation means improving your current continuity plans. In this way, you can optimize your public-facing performance even if your company is currently backing up data, recovering from a cyberattack, or handling some other disaster.

The IT and cyber threat landscapes are constantly changing. It can be challenging for enterprises to always be innovating with their business continuity plans and procedures when they’re focused on so many other aspects of business operations.

What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Disaster recovery plans emphasize restoring data access and security and ensuring the stability of IT infrastructure in the aftermath of a disaster.

In other words:

  • Business continuity prioritizes maintaining business operations throughout a disaster as well as possible to minimize consumer disruptions/security breaches
  • Disaster recovery means recovering data and restoring operational status after a disaster has concluded/security has been restored

Disaster recovery is also vital because many cyberattacks target vulnerable consumer data or valuable enterprise systems. Having a recovery plan in place may allow businesses to:

  • Secure their data more readily, minimizing the likelihood of a major or permanent breach
  • Restore business operations that consumers or employees rely on
  • Shore up security processes to prevent follow-up cyberattacks from being successful

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The Importance of Disaster Recovery Planning and Leadership

Just like disaster or emergency plans for real-world crises, disaster recovery planning and leadership is also important for IT disasters. The best disaster recovery plans include:

  • Employee safety measures
  • Drills for cybersecurity or data protection
  • Purchasing supplies
  • Readying IT infrastructure
  • Coming up with response plans to fight back against malware and other cyberattacks
  • Methods to restore backed up data quickly
  • And more

However, even the best disaster recovery plans are only successful under the right leadership.

Organizations should ensure that at least one individual is placed in charge of disaster recovery planning and implementation. When a disaster strikes, that individual can quickly give orders and marshal security measures without unnecessary deliberation.

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Benefits of Managed Service Providers for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Managed service providers offer a wide range of benefits for companies just like yours. They can also provide specific advantages for business continuity planning and transformation, as well as disaster recovery procedures.

Business Continuity Testing

For example, managed service providers like LI Tech Solutions offer BCT or business continuity testing. This can provide your employees with key insights into their preparedness for potential disruption.

When you hire LI Tech, our cyber experts will help your team find good solutions for potential disasters, discover how to maintain services in the wake of a crisis, and much more. Plus, a managed service provider in Long Island, NY can help you run regular business continuity tests without interrupting your core business operations.

Perfect Implementation of Disaster Recovery Plans

Disaster recovery plans are only worthwhile if you can implement them properly. That’s easier said than done, especially if your employees are not properly trained on how to do so.

Managed service providers can implement your disaster recovery plans to the letter, ensuring that data is backed up properly, that IT infrastructure comes online in the right order, and that security is restored at the earliest opportunity.

End-to-End Encryption for Data Security

As experienced disaster recovery experts, LI Tech Solutions can provide end-to-end data security encryption. This flexible safeguard is perfect for any data environment, whether your business relies on cloud servers, hybrid servers, on-premises servers, or virtual servers.

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Fewer Manpower Requirements from Your Organization

Perhaps most important of all, managed service providers reduce the disaster recovery and business continuity planning manpower needed from your organization.

When you offload the burden of these procedures to a trusted managed service provider, your employees can instead focus on other elements of your business. You can prioritize delivering great experiences and products to your customers without having to worry so much about IT security.

Instead, your managed IT services provider can tackle the tough elements of disaster recovery and business continuity planning/transformation.

Contact LI Tech Solutions Today

No matter your business’s size or focus, LI Tech Solutions offers the best managed IT services in Long Island. Our data protection solutions, business continuity planning and testing, and other services allow us to provide your business with the support it needs to anticipate and overcome disasters in the future. Contact us today for more information!

6 Questions to Ask Before Implementing a Technology Change

litechsol on April 18, 2022

It can be exciting to introduce new technology into your business. Finding a solution that will help your team members do their jobs more efficiently and effectively by filling a gap in your technology infrastructure is certainly an achievement. However, before you get carried away with quickly implementing your new solution to reap the benefits, there are a few things you should know before a technology change.

When introducing new technology into your IT infrastructure, keep in mind that change can be difficult for individuals. It can be hard to predict whether end-users will readily accept or resist the change. Before implementing new technology, you need a well-planned change management strategy to help you achieve success and get the most out of your investment.

Change management is an approach that deals with changes or transformations in organizational processes, objectives, and technology. The goal of change management is to devise strategies to implement and govern transformation while helping people adjust to it.

There are a few factors to consider before beginning your change management journey.

Ask These Questions Before Making a Technology Change:

  1. What is being changed?

It’s critical to review your business environment first to identify critical areas that require a technological refresh as soon as possible. 

Assume you are starting a transition from backup solution “X” to backup solution “Y.” Before implementation, spend some time assessing what the backup solution “X” lacks, why it needs an update, and how important it is. 

  1. What will this change mean for people, processes, and technology?

Communication is essential for successfully driving technological change. Make sure you develop strategies to help your employees adapt to any changes. 

Examine technology mapping and dependencies to ensure you understand the implications of pulling systems offline for updates. Also, determine the processes that need to be modified and the individuals who oversee them.

  1. Who will manage the change?

Identify change leaders and include their contact information in all change communications. It’s a great idea to have an executive sponsor guide your project forward and hold you accountable for deviations from your objectives.

  1. When is the best time to implement this change?

It’s critical to determine the best time to implement a change. A lot of care must go into deciding when to introduce a transformation.

If you’re about to embark on a new transition, but your employees are still dealing with the effects of previous changes, it may be a good idea to postpone the planned transformation if possible. On the flip side, if your employees have adjusted well to a recent change, then introducing a new transition could work out just as well.

  1. How long will the change take?

A change must not be too quick, causing confusion and employee frustration, or too slow, diluting the entire purpose of the transformation. Setting a realistic deadline and striving to meet it is critical.

  1. Who will reach out to support if something goes wrong?

No change is immune to unexpected setbacks. That’s why it is critical to have emergency contacts of people with various skillsets to call upon in the event of a mishap. However, finding people with the necessary skillsets and knowledge base is tricky.

Collaboration with a managed service provider (MSP) who can support you in emergency and non-emergency situations can be a good idea.

Find the Right Partner

Change is a challenging experience. You risk damaging key processes and losing valuable team members to burnout if you don’t have a good change management strategy in place. As experts with years of experience and subject knowledge, we may be exactly what your company needs.

Feel free to contact us for a consultation on change management. LI Tech Solutions offers comprehensive solutions for companies of all sizes that are ready to scale. Call us today.  516-210-6400

5 Ways MSPs Can Support Hybrid Workplaces

litechsol on April 11, 2022

The hybrid workplace isn’t going away. The hybridization of many industries was already a growing trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the pandemic solidified that trend into a full-blown economic revolution.

In many industries ranging from tech to finance and more, hybrid workplaces allow employees to work remotely some of the time and in the office the rest of the time. The benefits are numerous, ranging from increased worker flexibility to reduced resource consumption and more.

However, hybrid workplaces can be even more beneficial for your organization when you employ managed services providers like LI Tech Solutions. Let’s take a look at five key ways that MSPs can support hybrid workplaces just like yours.  

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Cloud Infrastructure and Support

For starters, managed service providers can offer excellent cloud infrastructure and ongoing support. Cloud infrastructure, software, and other services are most important for hybrid workplaces.

Why? Because through the cloud, organization employees can access the same resources, use the same software, and use all the same files whether they work from home or at the office. Cloud access means that all employees can work together no matter where their computers or end terminals happen to be.

Of course, it takes a dedicated IT team to manage cloud infrastructure and offer 24/7 support. That’s where a managed services provider comes in.

MSPs can help your cloud infrastructure work for your company by:

  • Ensuring that software updates happen consistently and regularly
  • Monitoring the cloud for potential glitches or cyberattacks
  • Helping team members learn how to access the cloud or how to download the appropriate software to their devices
  • And much more

On top of all that, managed services providers can ensure that your cloud resources scale with your organization. Therefore, if you want to stick with a hybrid workplace over the next few years, your cloud infrastructure can grow with your company. An MSP can make that future a reality more easily than ever.  

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Security Updates, Monitoring, and Training

Perhaps more importantly, managed services providers can offer regular security updates for important antivirus and anti-malware measures. These include antivirus software like firewalls, phishing protection for company emails, and much more.

The cybersecurity landscape is always evolving, which means security updates must be implemented and installed as soon as they become available. But it can be tough to keep track of which programs or security software need updates. Your MSP can do all that for you, freeing up your people to work on other tasks.

In addition, MSPs like LI Tech offer 24/7 monitoring for your cloud infrastructure and company systems. This monitoring will ensure that you are alerted whenever there is a potential cyber breach and that cyber breaches will be much less likely to succeed.

In the event of a successful cyberattack, the monitoring from a managed services provider will help you prevent it from occurring in the future.

Of course, many cybersecurity breaches occur because of employee mistakes. To that end, MSPs such as LI Tech Solutions offer security training for your employees. These training seminars can teach the basics of good digital hygiene, like how to build strong passwords and how not to log workplace computers via vulnerable public networks.  

10 Things to Consider Before Hiring an IT Support Company in Long Island, NY

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Workforce Analytics

On top of all that, MSPs can provide crucial workforce analytics services for your growth and understanding. For example, MSPs can gather data about:

  • How your employees use their time
  • How your software benefits your company
  • How your data is stored and how it is retrieved
  • And much more

All of that data, once properly analyzed, can help you make better decisions for your company. Managed services providers can even help improve your data management and storage policies so they’re more efficient for your workers. This will improve productivity for your hybrid workforce.

Project Management Services and Software

Any manager or executive who oversees a hybrid workforce knows the difficulty of ensuring that all employees are on the same page. Project management becomes a little more difficult when employees work from different places, despite all the other benefits associated with allowing a hybrid workplace.

However, managed services providers can offer project management and organizational services, or connect you to project management software via the cloud. Either of these solutions will help your remote and in-office employees collaborate just as efficiently in a hybrid workplace as they would in a traditional office environment.

Project management services and software help ensure that:

  • Everyone knows what projects they should be working on
  • Project deadlines are met properly
  • Project reports are sent to appropriate leaders or supervisors when needed
  • Supervisors can reassign individuals or rebalance workloads as necessary
  • And more

All of those benefits will make your hybrid workforce just as good as it was before you made the transition.  MSPs support hybrid workplaces to help your organization’s productivity flow.

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Increased Organizational Productivity

Lastly, MSPs can support your hybrid workplace by improving organizational productivity across the board. In effect, MSPs take a lot of the busy work or manual tasks of cloud support and cybersecurity away from your team.

Instead, your employees can focus on the core aspect of your business that net you the most profits. Imagine what you could do if your IT personnel could focus on building a new website or online marketing instead of having to monitor security 24/7.

In addition, MSPs support hybrid workplaces by providing value by overseeing your cloud infrastructure. In this way, your workforce can take advantage of the technologies of the cloud without having to continually update it and monitor it for stability.

Bottom line: by hiring an MSP, your hybrid workplace will enjoy greater operational flexibility. Your employees, meanwhile, can be reassigned to other elements of your business depending on what you need.

Summary

Ultimately, managed services providers are valuable for any companies that use hybrid workplaces. If you’ve decided to allow your workforce the flexibility and other benefits of hybridization, consider hiring an MSP for even greater improvements.

As a well-known managed IT services provider in Long Island, we’re well-equipped and ready to assist your hybrid workplace starting today. Contact us for more information!

Top 4 Tech Trend Predictions for 2022

litechsol on February 14, 2022

Over the last few decades, technology has been a driving force in business transformation and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The fact that direct digital transformation investments are projected to total $7 trillion between 2020 and 2023 demonstrates this.1 If you want your firm to succeed, you must have the appropriate technologies to help you keep up with the changing business world. Let’s take a look at the tech trend predictions for 2022.

In the present scenario, your technology must enable you to overcome three recent pandemic-induced issues:

  • Supply chain disruptions

In 2021, supply chain interruptions cost businesses throughout the world an average of $184 million.2

  • The great resignation

In September 2021, 4.4 million people resigned from their jobs in the United States alone, setting a new record.3

  • A rise in ransomware attacks

Ransomware affected 68.5% of businesses in 2021.4

Businesses must keep up with the demands of the evolving technology landscape if they wish to achieve their goals and remain competitive despite the changes brought about by the pandemic.

Track the latest technological trends to know if you are moving in the right direction. Having a managed service provider (MSP) on your side allows your business to stay up to date without you having to do much heavy lifting.

 

Top 4 tech trend predictions for 20225

  1. Third-party risks will increase

In 2022, third parties will be involved in 60% of security incidents. This means that firms that fail to invest in the risk management trifecta of people, processes, and technology may face cyberattacks.

Proactive businesses will include risk assessment, supply chain mapping, real-time risk intelligence, and business continuity management in their IT stack (rather than a single application like Excel).

  1. One-third of companies will fail at implementing “work from anywhere”

To successfully and securely empower remote workers, organizations need to deliver:

  • A precisely designed digital workplace that allows for seamless working from anywhere
  • A leadership team capable of leading a virtual team
  • An organization with high levels of digital literacy across all departments
  • A thorough mastery of work-from-anywhere concepts

However, a third of the companies still lag in these areas.

  1. Cloud-native takes center stage in enterprise cloud

Cloud customers will change their business strategy to be completely cloud-native rather than using the cloud for only a portion of their portfolio.

Also, cloud-native adoption is predicted to reach 50% of enterprise organizations by 2022, spanning all major technology domains such as big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.

  1. Tech execs leap from digital to human-centered technology transformations

In 2022, technology executives will concentrate on fixing long-term problems. The best will embrace a customer-centric approach to technology, allowing their organization to quickly reconfigure business structures and capabilities to meet future customer and employee needs with adaptability, innovation, and resilience.

 

Collaborate for success

If you are in NYC or Long Island and want to get your technology infrastructure ready for a successful year, you’ll need the help of a dependable managed service provider (MSP).  Feel free to contact us to set up a free consultation. Our expertise and skillsets may be precisely what your company needs to help remote workers thrive.

 

Sources:

  1. Statista (worldwide-digital-transformation-market-size)
  2. Statista (cost-supply-chain-disruption-country)
  3. Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, 2021
  4. Statista (businesses-ransomware-attack-rate)
  5. Predictions 2022, Forrester

Top Benefits of Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

litechsol on January 17, 2022

Managed services are more important than ever for organizations, especially with the rise of data compliance legislation, frequent software updates, and ever-evolving security risks. 

Managed services allow you to outsource your repairs, updates, maintenance, and other IT concerns to experts who work around the clock to ensure peak performance for your site and company. But what if you’ve never used a managed services provider and don’t know whether it’s worth your time and money?

Let’s break down the advantages and top benefits of managed service providers in detail.

Make IT Costs More Predictable

For starters, managed services make your IT costs more regular and predictable overall. When you sign up for a managed services package:

  • All of your costs are included in the monthly or annual rate you pay
  • Any unexpected expenses are covered under your managed services provider

In this way, you can budget your IT costs more evenly. Small businesses, in particular, may benefit from the predictability and low upfront cost of managed services.

Plus, if your IT systems ever encounter a massive repair that would cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars, you’re covered under the shield and expertise of managed services.  

Callout 1- Make IT Costs More Predictable - 2 bullet points

Low Downtime

The right managed services provider can also significantly reduce downtime for your website or network. The majority of downtime occurs because of equipment issues, such as malfunctioning servers or computers.

Managed services may cut down on the costs of downtime (both in dollars and in reputation) by implementing protective strategies such as:

  • Keeping cybersecurity protocols in place
  • Updating software regularly
  • Minimizing the chance for human error by employing experts in your company’s IT systems
  • Employing other safeguards as necessary

When your organization’s reputation hinges on maximum uptime, a managed services provider might be the best way to go.

Increased Scalability

As your business grows, you’ll need to add new networking capabilities, new software, and hardware, and otherwise scale up your IT systems.

Managed services providers make scalability much easier. They can coordinate scaling your network up, provide the new equipment necessary for the expansion, and even train anyone in your organization who requires special skills.

Alternatively, managed services may allow you to expand and upgrade your systems when it’s necessary without having to permanently hire and train employees who you may not need afterward (which can save you thousands of dollars).

In this way, managed services providers offer you both easy scalability and flexibility without requiring you to commit to massive expenses upfront.  

Callout 2- dark blue background- 3 benefits listed: Low Downtime, Increased Scalability, Boosted Security & Preventive Measures

Boosted Security + Preventative Measures

There’s no denying that cybersecurity concerns are important in this day and age. Small businesses in all industries are routinely targeted by cybercriminals. Even if you have antivirus software in place, keeping it updated and ensuring your security measures are up to snuff is a full-time job for several employees.

A managed services team can take care of cybersecurity for you. Not only can they monitor your system 24/7, but they can also:

  • Ensure that your security protocols and technologies are updated and suitable for modern cyber threats
  • Provide regular security training material as needed
  • Anticipate new cyber threats
  • Implement preventative measures, such as not allowing your day-to-day employees access to critical files or security systems

In many cases, a managed services provider can majorly boost your company’s IT security across the board.

Data Compliance Assurance

Data compliance issues are becoming more common, especially as legislation like the GDPR and CCPA is implemented. Even without this legislation, standards such as the PCI DSS and HIPAA often require compliance from your business to avoid heavy fees and reputational damage.

A managed services provider can ensure that you stay compliant with data security and consumer protection rules at all times. This way, you can reduce the administrative overhead and man-hours required to keep track of such compliance issues yourself.

This is even more important as legislation expands and as new rules are drafted. Once again, you or your employees don’t have to stay up-to-date with each new development. Let a managed service provider do the heavy lifting and free up your time for other aspects of your business.  

Callout 3- managed services virtual touchscreen- 2 benefits listed: Data Compliance Assurance, 24/7 Tech Support

24/7 Tech Support

Even modern IT systems still require tech support from time to time. A managed services provider can offer 24/7 Tech support whenever you need it without having to wait for another organization or a customer service channel.

This flexibility and immediate responsiveness can help you get back on track after a minor technical hiccup or prevent small issues from spiraling out of control.

Regular Upgrades Without Increased Workload

As your software and hardware reach the end of their lifespans, it still needs to be upgraded. Your managed services provider can ensure that your software, including all your security measures, is properly updated without increasing your employees’ workload unnecessarily.

Not only does this free up time for your workforce, but it also ensures that you aren’t subject to a technical glitch or a cybersecurity attack because your company forgot to upgrade to the latest version of a major piece of software.  

Callout 4- 2 benefits listed: Regular Upgrades without increased workload, Expertise on your side

Expertise on Your Side

Perhaps most important of all, a managed services team provides instant access to technical expertise at all times.

You never need to worry about being unable to understand some core part of your IT infrastructure or tech stack. Your managed services team will know the ins and outs of your IT systems and be able to handle maintenance, security checks, repairs, and even replacements when needed.

This technical expertise is more important than ever, especially as tech becomes more complex and as systems interlink with increasing regularity. 

Summary of Benefits of Managed Service Providers

Ultimately, the advantages and benefits of managed service providers are too critical to ignore. That’s why LI TECH’s managed services are ideal for organizations just like yours.

Not only do we offer full network auditing, security, and risk mitigation, but we also provide scaling technologies and support to assist your enterprise as it grows. With LI TECH on your side, your company will thrive in the modern tech environment.

Contact us today for more information about our managed services and cloud architecture benefits.

4 Data Backup Myths You Need to Know About

litechsol on January 6, 2022

Humans generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day.1 That is a substantial amount of information. However, failing to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape might wipe your share of this data in the blink of an eye. In fact, ransomware has more than doubled in frequency since last year, accounting for 10% of verified breaches.2

While there is a lot of fear surrounding cybersecurity, you don’t need to panic. There are measures you can put in place to better protect your business. One of our best recommendations is to make data backups a component of your cybersecurity plan. Companies that don’t regularly back up valuable data leave themselves vulnerable to evolving cyberthreats.

Data loss can occur due to multiple reasons that range from hard drive failures and ransomware attacks to natural disasters and human error. Whatever the reason may be, data backup can provide the relief you need by helping restore data on your devices should an incident occur.

When you decide to embark on your data backup journey to protect your organization and create business continuity, there are several myths you’ll come across. Here are four of the most common data backup myths:

Backup Myths Debunked

Myth #1: Data Backup Is Too Expensive

Data loss can have a cascading effect, resulting in downtime, productivity loss, revenue disruptions, regulatory fines, and reputational damage. The total cost of these setbacks is typically higher than the cost of a backup solution.

Myth #2: Having One Copy of Your Data Backed Up Is All You Need

The 3-2-1 strategy is a data backup best practice that involves having at least three copies of your data, two on-site but on different mediums/devices, and one off-site.

  • Three copies of data: Having at least two additional copies of your data, in addition to your original data, is ideal.
  • Two different mediums: Keep two copies of your data on different types of storage medium such as internal hard drives and removable storage like an external hard drive or a USB drive.
  • One off-site copy: Keep one copy of your data off-site. This helps safeguard against worst-case scenarios.

Myth #3: Multiple Copies Guarantee Successful Backups

Having additional copies of your data by following the 3-2-1 strategy is a smart practice, but this doesn’t guarantee backups will operate as expected.

Organizations following the 3-2-1 strategy generally keep the original data and one of its copies on-site while another copy is transmitted to a safe, off-site destination, typically the cloud.

Beyond creating additional backup copies, regularly check to verify whether your backups are working properly since they may still be vulnerable to user error or data corruption. Routinely test backups or outsource the task to a managed service provider (MSP).

Myth #4: Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Are the Same

This misunderstanding stems from the fact that many people do not understand the difference between data backup and disaster recovery. Even though they are both vital components of business continuity, they are not the same.

While data backup is the act of backing up critical data, disaster recovery is the act of recovering those backups. Another distinction is that while data backup is defined by the recovery point objective (RPO), which is the amount of data that must be restored to keep operations running, disaster recovery is defined by the recovery time objective (RTO), which considers the time it takes to recover.

Partner for Success

Trying to safeguard your organization against data loss on your own can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.

We can make it easier for you to implement a long-term security and data backup strategy that also meets IT and endpoint device security and data protection requirements – especially considering new, growing cyberthreats that target vulnerabilities you may have overlooked. Contact us today for a free consultation.

 

Sources:

  1. net
  2. Verizon 2021 DBIR

Article curated and used by permission.

4 Reasons to Refresh Your Technology Infrastructure in 2022

litechsol on December 28, 2021

After the ups and downs of the last year and a half, the business world is making its way into 2022 with renewed optimism. Business executives are contemplating strategies to start the year with a strong quarter by adapting to the new normal. Do you have the best technology infrastructure to help you kick off the new year with a bang? If not, it’s time to consider a technology refresh.

Every company wants to grow, but if you treat your technological infrastructure as an afterthought, you may be severely limiting your company’s potential.

Remember that your IT infrastructure is a critical component of your business. An up-to-date and high-quality IT infrastructure is an asset that enables you to do business without falling prey to cyber threats and helps you achieve your goals.

A technology refresh enables a company to analyze the current state of its IT infrastructure and weigh the merits of trying something better. For a company’s long-term success, it’s best to review the present IT infrastructure — hardware, software, and other technology solutions — and determine what additional solutions are available that would better suit its needs.

Reasons Worth Considering Before Refreshing Your IT Infrastructure

The following are the top four reasons to refresh your technology infrastructure:

 

Increased Security

The threat landscape is constantly evolving. We know this because of the projected increase in the cybersecurity market size from around 217 billion in 2021 to about 240 billion in 2022.1 If you want to keep cybercriminals out of your business, you must understand where your technology and security measures fall short, leaving you vulnerable.

Some of the threats that small and midsized business (SMBs) IT infrastructure must defend against are:

 

Assurance That You’re Meeting Compliance Requirements

Regardless of your industry, you’re probably subject to compliance regulations that your company must follow. If you use outdated technology that no longer receives software patches and is no longer supported, you may jeopardize your compliance status. Finding these gaps in your infrastructure as early as possible allows you to close them, thereby avoiding reputational damage and getting into hot water with regulators.

Never take compliance lightly since failure to comply can result in:

  • Hefty penalties
  • Uninvited audits
  • Criminal charges
  • Denial of insurance claims
  • Forced closure or even imprisonment

Reliable Backup

If you don’t have a backup solution, you should find one that will work for your business because you could lose all your critical data in the blink of an eye. If you currently have a backup solution, you should check on it regularly to ensure that it is still functional. If it isn’t working, and your organization wants to access your backups, you’ll be in a tough spot.

In addition, some cyberattacks specifically target backups. As a result, it is critical to review and refresh your backup solution regularly.

 

Stay Competitive Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Other Emerging Technologies

According to Gartner, 33% of technology and service provider organizations intend to invest $1 million or more in AI over the next two years. AI and other emerging technologies are rapidly altering the landscape of every industry. If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you must use the most up-to-date technology that is appropriate for your industry and goals. This could explain why around 60% of SMBs have invested in emerging technologies.2

 

Collaborate for Success with a Technology Infrastructure Refresh

A timely technology refresh could act as an energy boost for your company, enabling it to be more resilient. Begin your IT infrastructure refresh journey with a partner like us.

Knowing that the process is in expert hands gives you peace of mind and allows you to focus on building your business.  Get in touch with us today.

Sources:
  1. Statista
  2. Adobe Digital Trends Report

Article curated and used by permission.

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