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Managed Services

Ensuring the success of your IT digital transformation

Only recently the phrase ‘digital transformation’ seems to have rescinded its title of most overused buzzword to ‘unprecedented’.

Businesses realise the need to digitise their processes to improve efficiencies, but often underestimate the scope of these projects, and the level of consideration and planning required to ensure successful adoption of new technologies. 

The team at TechSpecialist recently completed a large digital transformation project, so I thought it a pertinent time to reflect on how businesses can set themselves up for success when undertaking a similar process. 

Typically we’re engaged by clients who have identified most of the following issues:

  • In-efficient business processes
  • Manually handling
  • Lack of automation and visibility
  • Poor quality collaboration

While these issues are important to address, the data and insights that are collected as a by-product of the creation of digital assets that can be traced, tracked and versioned often become the most useful in increasing business efficiencies. 

Key IT processes to address

  • Identity and access management
  • File storage repository 
  • Call centre integration
  • Security upgrades for cloud-based software

Identity and access management

While it may not be the sexiest IT process, efficient identity and access management is a key area to address in configuring an organisations systems to ensure smooth day-to-day operations. 

The average number of different platforms enterprise level employees will login to each day is between 20 and 30. Expecting users to maintain an acceptable level of password hygiene across this many systems is just not practical.  

The most secure and efficient way of combating this issue is to enable a SSO (single sign-on) that federates account details from multiple systems using multi-factor authentication.

File storage repository

A key component of any digital transformation project should include a move towards cloud-based storage systems to hold data in a central, secure location that can be accessed remotely.

This not only reduces the need for businesses to purchase and maintain their own servers, but allows for increased security and better collaboration. Multiple users can access documents simultaneously and make changes which will be displayed across the organisation in real-time, with increased possibilities for version control.  

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is also made possible using cloud-based storage, using business rules to classify information so that unauthorized users can’t accidentally or maliciously share data.

Contact centre upgrades

Integrating your contact centre with your CRM through a voice platform system allows you to push call data to a customers individual profile, and bring up their service history, which enables the delivery of a highly personalised service.  

Before the call is taken, the voice platform will identify key information about the caller, and use business-defined rules to route the call to whoever will be best placed to service that customer’s needs.

 

The platform also uses AI to understand customer sentiment by analysing voice tone and speech patterns to rank call quality and create a sentiment score. They can be further configured to create alerts in real-time so supervisors can listen in and even intervene on a call if a predetermined sentiment score is reached. 

Security upgrades for cloud-based software

On premise SOC and Siem technology is largely considered to be the most effective system for threat monitoring and breach prevention, however until recently the use of cloud-based storage could limit its effectiveness. 

Now there are products available that have access to the cloud that can monitor threats and provide an external view of what’s happening within the organisation’s tenancy, which can stop breaches including threats caused by masquerading users.

How to ensure success of your transformation

Ultimately the success of these projects boils down to how well the new systems and processes have been adopted at every level of the organisation, not just by IT. 

It’s important to have a predetermined methodology to ensure adoption is as high as possible. This can be done via:

  • Developing training plans
  • Assigning leadership groups and project champions
  • Gamification of platform use and training programs

A thorough reverse approval process should also occur at the end of the project to ensure key deliverables have been met and communicated across the business, and that efficiencies, cost savings and ease-of-use are all widely understood. 

Categories
Managed Services

Think your data is secure because you have a firewall?

The gap between how secure business owners think their data is, and how secure it actually is, seems to be widening. There’s a general misconception that if a business is addressing end-point protection, mail filtering and threat management across devices, then their environment is safe. 

Unfortunately that’s just not the case. I’ve put together a few worst-case scenarios (that happen more often than you’d think) to illustrate why it’s always better to be proactive in your approach to IT infrastructure.

Data from my Google Drive/Office 365/Salesforce/Xero/SaaS platform has disappeared

 

You can make your SaaS platforms secure, and use them in a safe manner. But they don’t come that way out of the box. One of the most disruptive issues I’ve seen for businesses is when data from one of their cloud-based software platforms is corrupted, goes missing or becomes compromised. 

 

Nearly all SaaS platforms don’t have the ability to be 100% restored from a back-up on request with the necessary granularity that you may be accustomed to with a traditional on premises solution. They do offer varying levels of recovery, but you can’t pinpoint and recover data in many instances.

 

There’s a host of issues I’ve seen occur from these provider requests:

  • There’s a limit of around 30 days for most providers. If you’ve missed something older than this, chances are it’s gone. 
  • The usual method of delivery for your recovered files is to save over the top of your existing account. You’re unlikely to receive a nice package of missing files. 
  • Standard practice is to recover your entire tenancy, not just files you’ve requested. The amount of data you can end up with is very difficult to sift through.  

Talk to your MSP about taking granular back-ups of your platform-based data, and make this  a regular maintenance practice. 

 

My personal or business information is being sold or ransomed Online

 

The rise of the dark web and cryptocurrencies has given hackers an open market where stolen identities and sensitive business or personal information can be sold anonymously to the highest bidder. 

The financial and legal ramifications of a data breach can be debilitating. Just ask Equifax Or LinkedIn. 

These types of attacks are of particular concern as usually result in the sharing of your email address and an associated password. Tools exist that allow hackers to easily produce all the

logical variations of a password almost instantaneously. With most people using a variation of a similar password across accounts, a lot of your data can be compromised in one hit. 

MSPs are using dark web reconnaissance as a diagnostic tool for auditing the security of IT infrastructure by illegal databases for email addresses and other information associated with your domain. 

Savvy providers will be able to see the source of the breach that has led to your information ending up in the wrong hands, and provide a solution to tighten up your security to prevent future breaches

My system has been attacked outside of office hours

It’s true that firewalls don’t sleep, but a basic firewall set-up will ultimately rely on a human component to monitor the system and act on alerts. If your environment is compromised overnight, alerts won’t be acted on until your team is back on deck the next morning, and by then the damage is done.

A SOC & SIEM system is the next level up in security, allowing for the provision of monitoring and remediation services for incidents in real time. Think of this as a dedicated security team, which can be consumed as a managed service without a large capital expenditure.

The Security Operations Center (SOC) is a security service desk manned 24/7, dedicated to detecting, analysing and responding to information provided by Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) software. The SIEM itself is a big data platform that uses AI and machine learning to collate and interrogate alerts received from the customer side, using known attack behaviour to prioritise alerts.

Traditionally the cost of these systems has been prohibitive for the SME space, and were used only for enterprise level businesses with high compliance benchmarks. Recently TechSpecialist have rolled out an affordable SOC & SIEM catering for the needs of SMEs that have high security requirements.

Categories
Managed Services

Ready For Cloud?

So what is Cloud? Cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet and not locally/physically on your computer’s hard drive.

Here at TechSpecialist, we can provide a complete Cloud Service or custom hybrid Cloud solution relevant to your business requirements and budget. We can provide a range of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platforms, allowing you to minimise capital expenditure.

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)? Simply put (IaaS) provides the base components of a fully outsourced infrastructure solution. Rather than buying physical servers and network equipment, you can combine and utilise our ready to use components to build your ideal solution. Essentially, IaaS uses the economies of scale of an aggregated platform hosted in a data centre to provide a more secure, reliable, and flexible option at a lower price than would be available to individual businesses.

One of the key benefits for utilising Cloud Services for businesses with minimal capital is to pay by the month (rent) a fully functioning solution that is secure and reliable delivered via the internet.

In our experience, Cloud is not suited to every business, it all depends on the business requirements, budget, internal policies and preferences though a hybrid cloud solution may be an option. Let us help you navigate and assess which options are suitable based on your business needs. Contact our Cloud Specialists today.

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Managed Services

Windows Server 2003 support is ending 14 July 2015. Get started now with planning and migration!

Microsoft is ending the support for Windows Server 2003 operating system. Microsoft will be issuing its last security fix ever for Windows Server 2003 on July 14 2015. After this date, this product will no longer receive, software and content updates, security patches that help protect PCs from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software or any assisted technical support from Microsoft.

Users may also encounter problems with Software and Hardware compatibility. Computer systems running unsupported software are exposed to an elevated risk to cyber security dangers, such as malicious attacks or electronic data loss.

So you may miss the deadline, we assume there are many businesses out there in the same predicament. The longer you delay depends on your appetitive for risk and your long term IT goals. Don’t get caught out on security. There are always options to consider, get in touch with TechSpecialist today! Give us a call on 1300 582 690 or email sales@techspecialist.com.au and one of our staff will be able to assist you.

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Managed Services

$20,000 Immediate Write Off – Tax Cuts for Small Business

This announcement is a major boom to small business with an annual turnover of less than $2 million. Effective from Budget Night 12th May 2015 through to 30 June 2017, any new assets costing less than $20,000 will qualify for an immediate tax write off.

Whether you require Hardware (desktops, laptops, servers), Software (licensing) and IT Project Services to improve your business systems; If your business has a 30 June year end and you want to spend the balance of your budget before then, you can contact us on 1300 582 690 or email sales@techspecialist.com.au to discuss your requirements.

We pride ourselves on meeting delivery deadlines but it is always better to begin your planning as soon as you can.

You may be able to claim a full tax write-off for purchases up to $20,000, if you are a small business entity as defined by the ATO.

Categories
Managed Services

TechSpecialist proudly sponsors The Rotary Club’s Annual Circus Quirkus Show

The Rotary Club are hosting their Annual Circus Quirkus Show again at the Hordern Pavilion for the benefit of Sydney’s Eastern and Inner City suburbs special needs children, their carers and underprivileged families.

This is the 18th year for the festival. It is a non-animal family circus and proceeds of the show go to purchase lifesaving medical equipment for The Royal Woman’s Hospital.

To all our TechSpecialist clients, partners, suppliers and friends please show your support for The Rotary Club and the great work they do for special needs kids and underprivileged families.

Categories
Managed Services

TechSpecialist joins ShoreTel Champion Partner Program

Sydney, NSW – TechSpecialist announced today that they will begin selling and delivering ShoreTel® unified communications solutions as a new Authorised tier Champion Partner. ShoreTel®, Inc., the leading provider of brilliantly simple phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, has designed the Champion Partner Program to strengthen the relationship between ShoreTel and its partners to provide end-customers with brilliantly simple UC solution. The program’s goal is to advance and grow both companies’ market share in the UC industry, while ensuring every customer continues to be delighted with their ShoreTel experience.

“We’re pleased to welcome value-added partners to the Champion Partner Program to deliver our innovative products and leading business solutions, especially those like TechSpecialist that have a commitment to sales and technical training, infrastructure development and a focus on customer service,” said David Petts, senior vice president of worldwide sales at ShoreTel.

Since ShoreTel’s first product shipment in 1998, customer satisfaction has been a top business priority, and ShoreTel partners are required to adhere to it as a primary business value. Many customers who purchase ShoreTel solutions rank ShoreTel’s product above other manufacturers’ product for technology, ease of use, management, customer service, solution experience, product features and performance. TechSpecialist is committed to satisfying customers, helping contribute to ShoreTel’s world-class Net Promoter Scores (“NPS”), a widely-used measure of customer satisfaction.

About ShoreTel, Inc.

ShoreTel, Inc. is a leading provider or brilliantly simple IP phone systems and unified communications solutions. Its award-winning on-premises IP-PBX solution and cloud-based hosted phone system eliminate complexity and improve productivity. Recognised for its industry-leading customer experience and customer support, ShoreTel’s innovative business phones, application integration, collaboration tools, mobility, and contact centre applications enable users to communicate and collaborate no matter the time, place or device, with minimal demand on IT resources. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale California, and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information visit www.shoretel.com