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How ready is your business for hurricanes?As hurricanes are a common event in many areas of the United States, business owners must take steps to secure their data. In this blog, we provide steps that will help you quickly recover your data and get back to business following a hurricane. Determine recovery hierarchy Certain parts of your IT system are more […]

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19 Jul, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021july19business_b, backup, business, Business Continuity, cloud, data backup, disaster recovery, floods, hurricanes, natural disaster category
How ready is your business for hurricanes?

As hurricanes are a common event in many areas of the United States, business owners must take steps to secure their data. In this blog, we provide steps that will help you quickly recover your data and get back to business following a hurricane.

Determine recovery hierarchy

Certain parts of your IT system are more mission-critical than others. Ask yourself which systems and/or data must be recovered in minutes, hours, or days so your business can resume operations quickly

For example, you may find that recovering sensitive customer information and eCommerce systems take priority over recovering your email server. Whatever the case may be, prioritizing your systems ensures that the right ones are recovered quickly after a disaster.

Pay attention to location

First and foremost, your backup site should be in a hurricane-free zone. Ideally, your off-site facility should be located at least 100 miles away from your main location. If this isn’t possible, make sure it is built to withstand wind speeds of 160 miles per hour (as fast as Category 5 storms) and is supported by backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies.

You should also request an upper floor installation or, at the very least, keep critical IT equipment 18 inches off the ground to prevent water damage in case of floods.

Use image-based backups

Unlike fragile tape backups, image-based backups take “snapshots” of your systems, creating a copy of the OS, software, and data stored in them. From there, you can easily boot the virtual image on any device, allowing you to back up and restore critical business systems in seconds.

Take advantage of the cloud

The cloud enables you to host applications and store data in high-availability, geo-redundant servers. This means your backups can be accessed via the internet, allowing authorized users to access critical files from any device. Expert technicians will also watch over and secure your backups, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of enterprise-level backup facilities and IT support.

Back up your data frequently

Back up your data as often as possible, especially during disaster season. If your latest backups were created on September 15th and a storm makes landfall in your area on the 28th, you could lose nearly two weeks of data.

Test your disaster recovery (DR) plan

After setting up your backups, check whether they are restoring your files accurately and on time. Your employees should be drilled on the recovery procedures and their responsibilities during and after a disaster. Your DR team should also be trained on how to failover to the backup site before the storm hits. Finally, providers, contractors, and customers need to be notified about how the hurricane will affect your operations.

As cell towers and internet connections may be affected during a hurricane, make sure your company forums are online and have your employees register with the Red Cross Safe and Well website so you can check their statuses.

It’s nearly impossible to experience disruptions during disasters like Harvey or Irma, but with the right support, you can minimize downtime. If you’re concerned about any natural disasters putting you out of business, call us today. We offer comprehensive business continuity services that every company should have.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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What are the benefits of hosted Exchange?Microsoft Exchange is one of the most utilized email server services in the world. The service typically requires additional in-house infrastructure, but many businesses use a cost-saving workaround called hosted Exchange. Read on to learn more about it. ​​What is Microsoft Exchange? Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system that offers businesses a number of services, […]

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16 Jul, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021july07windows_a, hosted exchange, microsoft, microsoft exchange, servers, Windows category
What are the benefits of hosted Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is one of the most utilized email server services in the world. The service typically requires additional in-house infrastructure, but many businesses use a cost-saving workaround called hosted Exchange. Read on to learn more about it.

​​What is Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system that offers businesses a number of services, including email, calendaring, task management, and address lists. By integrating Exchange into your business, you can access all of these services from any location and on almost every device.

Many companies that purchase Exchange install it on their on-premises servers, which can be a bit expensive, especially for small businesses. Moreover, the server required to host it can take up space that a business may not have. This is why many companies prefer to operate on cloud-based systems.

What is hosted Exchange?

To make Exchange available to more businesses, many IT companies like Microsoft now offer hosted Exchange. In this setup, your IT provider allots a space on their servers where they install Microsoft Exchange and make it accessible only to your company over an internet connection. They are in charge of ensuring that the data stored is secure and accessible to you at all times. Many hosted Exchange providers will also offer extra features like improved security, full-time management, and data backup.

In other words, hosted Exchange is the cloud-based version of Microsoft Exchange managed by a host company or provider. You and your employees will still be able to access Exchange as if it were hosted in your office.

Benefits of hosted Exchange

Companies looking to integrate hosted Exchange into their business can enjoy the following benefits:

1. Predictable and lower costs

Like many other hosted services, the majority of hosted Exchange services are offered on a monthly, per-user basis, inclusive of maintenance and hosting. This makes costs predictable, as you’ll be paying a fixed fee every month.

Hosted Exchange also lowers overall costs. If a business were to calculate the cost of purchasing Microsoft Exchange and the infrastructure required to use it, plus maintenance fees, the total and per-user cost will likely add up quickly. For many small businesses, paying a monthly fee will be far less expensive than hosting a Microsoft Exchange solution in house. What’s more, you save money on maintenance overhead and future expenses.

2. Easier implementation

Implementing Microsoft Exchange in your office would require you to find space for the server. Once you install Exchange on this server, you’ll have to manage it and add new accounts and users. In case the service goes offline, you’ll have to fix it yourself. But with a hosted Exchange solution, your IT partner will take care of hosting, installation, and management, so you can focus on running your business.

3. Flexible solutions

Growing businesses may find it tough to scale up or down on an in-house Microsoft Exchange solution because of the server's limited capacity. With hosted Exchange, scaling up or down is as easy as contacting your provider, who can ensure that space and resources are available. They can also help scale your solutions in case you move offices.

Looking to learn more about hosted Exchange and how your business can benefit from it? Chat with us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Tips to keep your business data safeLosing or compromising data can be disastrous for your business. It can lead to reputational damage, costly lawsuits, and termination of contracts, among others. And because threats to data security are always present online, it's important to implement tough security measures that will keep your business data safe 24/7. Here are some tried-and-tested methods to […]

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14 Jul, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021july14security_b, backup, data breach, encryption, hacker, password, securing data, Security, update category
Tips to keep your business data safe

Losing or compromising data can be disastrous for your business. It can lead to reputational damage, costly lawsuits, and termination of contracts, among others. And because threats to data security are always present online, it's important to implement tough security measures that will keep your business data safe 24/7. Here are some tried-and-tested methods to safeguard your corporate data.

Use two-factor authentication

Using a complicated password to secure your system is not an effective way to level up your cybersecurity. That's because having to memorize a difficult password often pushes users to set that same complex password for multiple accounts. And if a hacker gets a hold of a recycled password, there’s a high probability that they could access all your accounts that use that same password.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your systems and accounts. 2FA comes in many forms: it can be a biometric verification in the devices that you own or a time-sensitive auto-generated code sent to your mobile phone. This security feature works similarly to how websites would require you to confirm your email address to ensure that you are not a bot.

Encrypt all data

Encryption is an effective obstruction to hackers, since it scrambles and descrambles data every time someone tries to read it. Encryption also causes compatibility issues if the data is not being accessed via a company’s own network systems. While applying encryption can be expensive, it is certainly well worth the money because it protects your data in case it falls into the wrong hands.

Keep systems up to date

Hackers are always upgrading their tools to take advantage of outdated security systems, so companies should keep up to protect their valuable technology resources. Many companies don’t install software updates immediately, and that’s a huge problem. Updates often close existing security loopholes, which is why delayed installation can mean exposing your systems to external attacks. Keep your data safe by installing software updates as soon as they are released.

Back up frequently

Implementing several layers to your security doesn’t ensure that hackers won’t find their way into your systems. This is why you need to back up data frequently, whether it’s on-site, off-site, or by way of cloud backups. In the worst-case scenario where your systems do get infiltrated, you can restore lost data from your backups.

Monitor connectivity

Many businesses have no idea how many of their devices are connected online at a given time, so it’s very hard for them to keep track of which of these should actually be online. Sometimes, a company’s computers and servers are online when they don’t need to be, making these tempting and easy targets for attackers. It’s advisable to configure business servers properly to guarantee that only necessary machines are online and that they’re well-protected at all times.

It’s much more expensive to recover from a data breach than to prevent one. If you’re looking to protect your business IT systems from potential threats, contact us today so we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Are EHRs better than paper medical records?More and more healthcare organizations are realizing that there are more problems with paper-based medical records than there are benefits, and that it’s time to adopt electronic health records (EHRs). But while EHR systems offer better data management and security, they also come with certain inconveniences and inefficiencies. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages […]

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12 Jul, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021july12healthcare_b, ehr, ehr software, ehr system, electronic health records, healthcare, medical records, patient care category
Are EHRs better than paper medical records?

More and more healthcare organizations are realizing that there are more problems with paper-based medical records than there are benefits, and that it’s time to adopt electronic health records (EHRs). But while EHR systems offer better data management and security, they also come with certain inconveniences and inefficiencies. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of adopting EHRs, and find out if they really are better than paper records.

What is an electronic health record?

An electronic health record (EHR) is an individual’s official health document that’s accessible via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and shareable between multiple facilities and agencies.

Typically, an EHR includes contact information, allergies, family history, list of medications, information regarding previous surgeries and procedures, and other relevant patient information.

How EHRs improve patient care

The use of EHRs improves patient care in significant ways. For one, EHRs can aid in diagnosing illnesses based on patients’ history and complete health information. EHRs can also help reduce medical errors and false positives. Records can also be updated to provide last known information to the provider at the point of care.

Lastly, EHRs can also improve overall public health by providing a bird’s-eye view of the overall health of an entire patient population. This lets providers identify risk factors that most impact the patients and proactively prepare for potential outbreaks or illnesses.

The big debate: EHRs vs. paper records

The long-standing debate of digital versus traditional data storage has expanded to every industry, and healthcare isn’t spared from it either. While most agree that EHRs offer more benefits in comparison with paper records, EHRs themselves are not without drawbacks. Below are some of the major differences between paper and electronic records, which could help you decide whether or not to shift to an EHR system.

  1. Time – EHRs can save emergency care providers time during a patient’s visit. And in case of emergency, these records can provide critical, life-saving information. However, experts in the field find that the learning curve in using EHRs is too steep and reduces healthcare providers into becoming data entry staff. Also, all the typing, clicking, and pointing have caused physicians to become distracted from their patients.
  2. Environment – One of the most obvious benefits of going digital is the reduction of adverse environmental impacts. A typical paper-based medical record usually encompasses close to hundreds of pages and might even run into the thousands in the most extreme cases. Conversely, digital solutions save paper, trees, and other resources used to make paper products.
  3. Security – Paper records can be compromised in two ways: by being misplaced or getting stolen. EHRs, on the other hand, are at risk due to the increasing prevalence of cyberattacks. Recent years, in particular, have been rough for the healthcare industry, as evidenced by the occurrence of numerous cybersecurity and data breaches involving thousands of medical records.
  4. Cost – Large healthcare providers often have to pay large sums of money to purchase, install, and gain full access to EHR systems. Maintaining paper records, by contrast, requires only human administrative costs and storage costs.
  5. Access – One of the biggest gripes against paper records is that they are incredibly tedious to access and share. Obtaining a paper record involves first having to find it and then either mailing, faxing, or scanning the copies. Sharing EHRs, on the other hand, is much easier; patients and medical personnel can access information via an app or by sending a photo via a secured network.
  6. Illegibility – A physician’s penmanship is often tough to read and decipher, and very easy to misinterpret. Paper records are also notorious for not providing enough space for a physician to jot everything down legibly. With EHRs, notes can be typewritten without regard for space, reducing concerns regarding illegibility.

EHRs in the future

Experts on the subject seem to believe that EHRs need to evolve a little more before being fully accepted and integrated by all healthcare institutions. Some changes include:

  • Reducing the data entry burden
  • Including remote monitoring
  • Increasing transparency
  • Increasing room for patient engagement

Despite these, we can still expect EHRs in the future to eventually have more in-depth content and provide a more layered representation of a person’s history. Over time, this will lead to more accurate diagnoses and more appropriate treatment plans.

Would you like advice on the best EHR systems in the market or on how to implement these? Look no further and let our experts guide you. Call us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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