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 If you use outdated technology that no longer receives software patches and is no longer supported, you may jeopardize your compliance status.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.

Working Better With the Cloud

litechsol on September 9, 2021

In all its forms and applications, the Cloud has revolutionized business. If a company chooses to be more efficient, secure, or scale to new heights, the Cloud is a precondition to success. According to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, 84% of small business owners consider cloud services fundamental to their successful operation.

An organization can extend employee productivity beyond the physical workplace and allow businesses to meet any future possibilities.  

The Cloud is one of a few ground-breaking technologies equally accessible to small, medium, and large enterprises. Whether the operation is a one-person shop or multi-national, the Cloud can generate an opportunity.

The following post highlights how integrated IT companies such as LITech Solutions bring all the possibilities of the Cloud to any size business. Only a few, highly trained organizations around the globe, offer the solutions as LI Tech.

  • How Can the Cloud Transform Your Business?
  • Working with LI Tech
  • The Cloud
  • Final Word

LI Tech Solutions (516) 210-6400 

Callout 1- Blurred background - How Can the Cloud Transform Your Business - 3 bullet points

How Can the Cloud Transform Your Business?

Consider the following seven areas where LI Tech Solutions has made a difference

  1. Scale at Speed. There are occasions when a business encounters a surge in production or a sudden rise in shipments. Moving operations to the Cloud allows the firm to deal with such increases quickly and efficiently. Services are better coordinated, support offerings are enhanced, and communications across the supply chain are reinforced.
  2. Greater Collaboration. According to Microsoft, 66% of small to medium-sized businesses recognize the ability to work on any device integral to their operations. Teams in outlying parts of the globe can collaborate on documents and tasks without email attachments, sharing calendars, or jumping on the phone.
  3. Cloud-based services are bringing clients and patients into the discussion, improving information sharing and patient care. Healthcare has benefitted from the Cloud and its wondrous possibilities, unlike any other industry. LI Tech Solutions is at the cutting edge of Digital Healthcare.
  4. The ability to access data at any time for anyone with the appropriate credentials is an essential part of growth. The Cloud offers consistency between employees, management, and consumers, meaning everyone is on the same page. Barriers of remote access are eliminated; Cloud computing brings the office to the employee.
  5. Employees are finding a work-at-home solution as their best route to raising a family, with 36% of all new hires since 2019 agreeing to both in-office and residential work situations. LI Tech offers integration alternatives for companies to blend with the new work paradigm.
  6. The Cloud allows businesses to deliver a customer experience that adds new digital touchpoints and insights to the relationship. Brands are building through traditional advertising channels and new Cloud-based initiatives; growth ahead is the direct link between business and consumer.
  7. Growing your company online means having the proper information at the most opportune time. Companies must make certain the information they receive is correct. 52% of all web traffic comes from automated bots, and half of those are bad bots looking to harm your hardware and networks. LI Tech’s backup and security methodologies are the future of data security.

LI Tech provides five robust components that take your organization into the future. The company is one of the exclusive few Cloud Integration providers that can undertake any size infrastructure opportunity. (516) 210-6400 

Callout 3- blue cloud computing concept- Title: The Cloud - 4 services LI Tech Solutions is Pioneering

Working with LI Tech:

  • LI Tech scans your current computer software and hardware configurations and offers cost alternatives and improvements.
  • Collaboration is improved for all teams. Your company’s skilled employees will experience a radical improvement in connecting with others. Employees access files and documents housed in secure areas of the Cloud Infrastructure.
  • LI Tech’s advanced security measures keep data safe and encrypted. Advanced network protocols deal with the everyday care of the network.

The Cloud

Exciting new technologies are advancing the enterprise, and proprietary services are revolutionizing the corporate infrastructure. Every business sector is seeing the rewards of innovating with the Cloud and LI Tech Solutions.

Four services LI Tech Solutions is pioneering:

  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) helps businesses by taking advantage of pre-formed structures to handle different workload demands. A major player in Cloud services is Microsoft Azure, an LI Tech partner known worldwide as an innovator.
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS) gives your company’s developers access to cloud-based mechanisms such as APIs and web portals. PaaS such as Salesforce Lightning is an attractive solution to build next-level CRM applications.
  • Software as a Service (SaaS) brings the world to any device. SaaS gives users access to applications to help them collaborate better, manage projects with efficiency, and grow the business without constraint.
  • Compliance as a Service (CaaS) is one of the newest services provided by LITech. As the assimilation of the public and government expands, so do the mounds of regulation. CaaS by LI Tech helps companies meet the overload of excessive regulation. 

Callout 4- cloud computing icon over suit- LI Tech Solutions offers cloud solutions

Final Word

No other company in the technology space gives its patrons a forward-thinking opportunity like LI Tech Solutions. From its proprietary Managed Services to the Cloud Infrastructure division, LITech offers consumers the best of all worlds.

Businesses around the globe are accelerating their infrastructure move to the Cloud. LI Tech offers unmatched solutions spanning the Cloud and business environments. LI Tech’s advanced services provide increased performance metrics and deliver tight integration with the tools already being used by the company.

How Data Compliance and Cybersecurity Differ

litechsol on September 3, 2021

When you run a business, compliance and cybersecurity are two essential factors. Both are equally important for the seamless operation of your business. While compliance helps your business stay within the limits of industry or government regulations, security protects the integrity of your business and sensitive data.

It is worth noting that although security is a prime component of compliance, compliance does not equal security. This is because compliance does not consider the growing threat landscape and associated risks. What it considers, however, is a set of pre-defined policies, procedures, controls, etc. 

If an audit concludes that these pre-defined elements are adequate and your business adheres to them, everything is considered “okay” from a compliance standpoint. However, you still may not be up to scratch from a security standpoint, which only goes to show that you can be compliant but still fall short on security.

In other words, because compliance requirements take a predictable path and change slowly, the compliance landscape lags behind the rapidly changing, unpredictable security landscape.

Now, let’s find out how your business can benefit by combining compliance and cybersecurity.

 

Get Covered With Security and Compliance Solutions

There are multiple security loopholes that you must proactively fix to stay out of danger. You can do it by deploying suitable security solutions. A few common security loopholes and related solutions are:

1. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) 

APTs across three attack pillars — endpoints, network and the cloud — are capable of paralyzing hybrid/remote/on-site work environments. Experts estimate the global APT protection market to be worth close to $6 billion in 2021 and $12 billion in 2025.(1) This statistic highlights the trouble caused by APTs. The best way to tackle it is by deploying a solution that can: 

  • Offer 24/7 monitoring and threat hunting
  • Efficiently block malicious actors that evade firewalls and antivirus systems

2. Insider threats skyrocketing at alarming rates

Over the last two years, insider incidents have increased by 47%.(2) What makes the scenario even worse is the fact that insider threats are tough to detect. That’s why it is advisable to have an advanced internal threat detection solution that combines machine learning and intelligent tagging to identify anomalous activity, suspicious changes and threats caused by misconfiguration.

3. Lack of clarity about the network

Keeping track of all the computers, mobile phones, printers and servers on your business’ network is challenging, especially in today’s increasingly remote-first approach to work. But without knowing the devices on your network, it is not possible to know your IT network’s health. To combat this problem, you need an automated assessment and documentation solution capable of identifying risks to all assets, including those not physically connected to the network.

4. Untrained employees and credentials getting sold on the dark web

  • When your employees are untrained and are unaware of risky actions, it could lead to severe security setbacks. For example, an employee carelessly clicking on a phishing link could lead to a full-blown ransomware attack on your business. 
  • Another major cybersecurity issue that you may encounter is when your credentials get sold on the dark web. Experts estimate that 60% of the information available on the dark web could negatively affect most businesses’ security and financials.(3)
  • Remember that inadequate data access protocols are not just a security issue but can also land you in hot water with regulators.

Tackle all the above issues by deploying industry-best solutions for security awareness training, dark web monitoring and identity/access management.

Just like security loopholes, you must also fix compliance loopholes the moment you spot them. Non-compliance can even lead to regulators levying penalties as high as 4% of your company turnover.(4) Beyond financial loss, you will also have to face stakeholder dissatisfaction, drop in market share, etc. To avoid such trouble, use a solution that automates compliance processes and generates insightful reports that document compliance.

 

Convergence of Cybersecurity and Compliance

Most companies have at least minimum protection in place, such as an antivirus on workstations/active firewalls. However, you must make sure that your business’ security posture can withstand the growing cyberthreat landscape. With some effort, you can incorporate your security solutions into your compliance strategy as well. 

By carefully bringing both security and compliance together systematically, you can reduce risks significantly. To ramp up your organization’s security posture, you can implement strong authentication, data protection, access monitoring, network-to-edge defenses, etc. By routinely validating the effectiveness of these solutions once they’re in place, you can ensure your organization is taking the necessary measures to avoid non-compliance and security breaches. 

 

Ready to take the next step? We can help.

 

Register for a consultation to learn more about how LI Tech Solutions can help you combine compliance and cybersecurity to prevent data compliance issues.

 

Sources:

  1. Statista
  2. 2020-Global-Cost-of-Insider-Threats-Ponemon-Report
  3. CSO Online
  4. GDPR Associates

Global Impact of Cybercrime: What Every Business Needs to Know

litechsol on August 9, 2021

Cybersecurity companies are having a banner year on Wall Street, and why not? Deadly threats to business are popping up almost daily, threatening people’s lives and income. The global impact of cybercrime requires a business to understand the emerging trends of cybersecurity.

Cybercrimes’ threat to business costs the global economy over $445 billion each year, while intellectual property theft exceeds $160 billion. Threats against small businesses are alarming. One in five fall victim to cybercrime, and of those, 60% are out of business in 6 months. 

Cybercriminals went on a crime spree during the pandemic and have taken advantage of the world’s dependence on technology. 

Li Tech Solutions (516) 210-6400

Will the Constant Threat of Cyberattack Ever End?

What began as a small network for scientists and researchers a few short decades ago has turned into an $8 trillion behemoth connecting over 3.5 billion people. The internet has become an essential aspect of people’s lives around the globe.

Businesses of every size rely more on the internet than ever before. Data and connectivity are the lifeblood of small businesses. The internet allows the smallest firms in remote locations to have a global impact.

As networks expand and new technologies come online, cybercrime is expected to grow. According to Cisco Umbrella’s 2021 Cybersecurity Trends, the statistics are alarming. These numbers are from Cisco devices and services that process over 620 billion internet requests daily. 

  • 86% of organizations had at least one user try to connect to a phishing site.
  • 70% of users were served malicious browser ads.
  • 69% experienced some form of unsolicited crypto mining offer.
  • 50% of every organization encountered some ransomware activity.
  • 48% found information-stealing malware activity on their network.

Li Tech Solutions (516) 210-6400

Callout 1- Will the Constant Threat of Cyberattack Ever End?

A majority of experts queried on “Why are businesses so vulnerable to cyberattack?” The single gravest answer –  Human Error!  

Businesses are vulnerable and have the most to lose. In the latest round of ransomware attacks, the cybercriminals target large infrastructure companies with a lot to lose if their operations were interrupted. They are holding companies hostage.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2020, email scams reported to the bureau accounted for most of the damage to businesses. The FBI’s report described several devastating scams, such as the  BEC/AEC email hoax, which dealt with the fraudulent transfer of funds. 

Cybercriminals gained access to business accounts through social engineering techniques and direct computer intrusion. 

Cyberattack

Small businesses with limited resources are lucrative targets for cybercriminals seeking credit card numbers, bank accounts, and employee financial data. Smaller companies tend to have weaker security measures because more transactions are online via the cloud. Small businesses generally ignore the dangers and impact of cybercrime in favor of daily profit.

Cyberattack Methods:

  • Hacking: email and system hacking are the two of the most common methods for cybercriminals to gain access and manipulate company information.
  • Phishing: Unsuspecting employees pass along personal and sensitive information to fraudulent websites.
  • Social Engineering: employee trust is built with fraudulent interaction to gather more information.
  • Malware: malicious software is increasingly more effective and dangerous as employees do not recognize the threat.
  • Keylogging: software tracks employee keystrokes and is dangerous because some anti-virus programs cannot detect the threat.
  • Identity Theft: stealing an employee’s personal information and using it to commit fraud is becoming easier for cybercriminals.

So much has been written about cybersecurity, it is becoming difficult for individuals and businesses to know how to proceed. The single best step a business can take, partner with Li Tech Solutions and let them guide you in the right direction.

Li Tech features five modules that can help a small business have a global impact.

Callout 2- Blurred background-Title: Protect Your Business- with four bullet points

Protect Your Business

Understand evolving risks and emerging trends of cyber-security and be prepared for the vulnerabilities in your business. Know what is valuable to a cyber-criminal; credit cards, asset accounts, intellectual property.

Develop a security plan; no matter how big or small your business is, the best offense is a good defense. Make sure every digital protocol is covered when making your plan. Cover the routine actions employees perform daily, like data backups. Include newer technologies that impact your operation, such as social media and cloud computing.

Keep hardware, software, and security protocols up to date. Li Tech Solutions can be a big help.

Educate your employees on the impact of cybercrime.  Every piece of advice written about cybersecurity includes some form of educating an employee. Mainly because employees are the single most significant leak a company can have, IT staff and management should not be the only ones concerned about cybersecurity. 

Connect with LI Tech Solutions: Your Trusted IT Partner in Long Island, NY

Ready to enhance your business with unparalleled IT outsource services? Contact LI Tech Solutions today for a free consultation and technology assessment. Let's build a future where your business thrives with the best IT support right here in Long Island, NY

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