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Category: Managed Services

Get Awesome Maintenance and Support

Maintenance vs. Support – The Down & Dirty

Some words that you may often hear in terms of IT services are “Maintenance” and “Support”. If you’re not in the business of delivering IT services, these words may be synonymous to you. In fact, they are not at all. When dealing with IT Service providers, it will benefit you to remove any ambiguity about “Maintenance” and “Support” in understanding what is being provided.

Simple Definitions

So let’s define these things in their simplest terms and provide some real world examples.

What is the Context?

The context in IT terms are applications, services, hosts, etc. Any “thing” that contributes to the functionality you expect requires some level of Maintenance and Support. Combined, Maintenance and Support determine the overall Availability, Security, and Usability of the thing.

Both Maintenance and Support combined determine the overall Availability, Security, and Usability of the thing.

What is Maintenance?

Maintenance is the ongoing care and feeding of the thing. It is:

  • the proactive measures to ensure the thing continues to do what it is meant to do,
  • regularly performed on a schedule,
  • determines the ultimate availability of the thing,
  • critical to ensure the Availability and Security of the thing.

What is Support?

Support is the activity of restoring or enhancing the functionality of a thing. It is:

  • the reactive measures to return the thing to a desired state,
  • performed as a result of an event,
  • critical to ensure the ongoing Usability of the thing.

What You Should Know

So what does this mean to you? If you subscribe to any IT Services, both Maintenance and Support will determine the overall value of the service to you. Here are the takeaways:

  1. Maintenance applies to the systems/services, code, and content of the thing. Like your house or car, without adequate Maintenance, the thing will ultimately fail.
  2. Hosting does NOT typically include all the maintenance required. It only provides for the Maintenance of the systems(network and hosts) required to deliver the code and content, not maintenance of the code OR content itself.
  3. Lack of adequate Maintenance is the primary reason that the thing:
    • does not perform as desired through failed code resulting in lack of Availability and Security exposure (hacks),
    • and drives up reactive Support events needed to restore the thing to its desired state.
  4. Support is the people and process by which a thing is restored when needed (when some event happens).
  5. Lack of or inadequate Support:
    • degrades the usability of the thing,
    • delays the restoration of the thing when an event occurs,
    • erodes customer confidence in the thing.

Summary

In dealing with any IT Service Provider, it is important you not only understand the Maintenance and Support being provided, but make sure you are getting the levels of each you need to have peace of mind in knowing your “thing” will perform as needed for the duration. While the levels of maintenance and support vary depending on the thing being provided, you should never assume you need none of either unless you are a gambler.

... Make sure you are getting the levels of each you need to have peace of mind in knowing your “thing” will perform as needed for the duration.

At CMHWorks, we provide many levels of Maintenance and Support, and can tailor one to meet the needs of your thing. For more information see:

The Technology DIY Trap

In last month’s news, I covered the Four Pillars for any Business, and why selecting the right tools as the foundation of your business is critical to your success. Now I’d like to dive a little deeper into the most common mistakes we see that cost businesses time, money, and potential erosion of customer confidence - Tech DIY.

Today you can get most any technology tool via monthly subscription. But… just because you can, doesn't mean you should. While anyone can “do the Google”, it doesn’t make you an expert anymore than WebMD makes you a doctor.

In the IT world, these tools are often referred to as Software as a Services (SaaS) solutions. The companies that provide these services also market them aggressively. But not all of these services are alike in terms of features, cost and most importantly quality. Sure they want you to buy their stuff. Like any industry, the technology services space a “buyer beware” jungle. Unless you know, you may be a sucker and fall into the DIY Trap.

Something we see very often is business owners attempting to manage their technology infrastructure themselves in an effort to save money. The truth is in almost every case, unless you are a Technology Professional, you will do more harm than good. This is a classic case of being “penny-wise and dollar foolish” as it always costs more to undo mistakes and service outages than to engage a professional to manage your changes in the first place.

Lastly, let’s consider the impact of service outages on your customer’s confidence. If your customer depends on your service, there is a erosion of trust in that service every time it doesn't work. And trust is easy to lose and hard to regain.

At CMHWorks, we offer services to help our client avoid the DIY Trap including Technology Assessments, Professional Services Consulting and Support to help you navigate the Tech Solutions jungle.

Stay tuned for future installments where we will be discussing each of the Essential Tools in more depth.

CyberSecurity Awareness Training - Don't get hacked!

Benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Training

The Power of Cybersecurity Training: Safeguarding Your Digital Assets

In an increasingly interconnected world, where cyber threats loom large, threat actors are smarter than ever, and data breaches make headlines. To combat this threat, we must take proactive measures to protect our digital assets. Cybersecurity training, in general, plays a pivotal role in equipping us with the knowledge and skills necessary to defend against cyberattacks, and maintain a more secure digital environment.

In 2021, 98% of cyberattacks relied on social engineering. According to PurpleSec (2021)

Social Engineering is a category of cyber threats focused on humans and their social behaviors. Right now, Social Engineering is the most prevalent attack vector because it preys on the uneducated person’s “likely” behaviors. Hackers use these behaviors to gain access to your systems and assets. The key to combating these Social Engineering threats is to educate, and thereby change that behavior.

In this article, we explore the compelling benefits of Cybersecurity Awareness Training as a tool to combat Social Engineering threats, and how they can provide measurable value in securing your organization.

Heightened Awareness and Threat Recognition

Cybersecurity Awareness Training serves as a powerful tool to educate your organization about the various types of cyber threats and attack vectors that they are exposed to. By educating on the latest techniques used by hackers, your staff becomes more adept at recognizing potential threats. These threats include phishing emails, malware, or social engineering attempts. Recognizing these threats means faster detection and reporting of suspicious activities, mitigating the risk of successful cyberattacks.

Social Engineering Cyberattack Vectors

Exercising and Testing Knowledge

It’s critical to understand where your organization is in terms of Cybersecurity Awareness. Providing knowledge is the first step to increasing that awareness. But, exercising that knowledge is what really changes the behavior. The best way to exercise is through real world testing.

An effective CyberSecurity Awareness Training program includes the periodic testing of users with safe Social Engineering attacks, such as phishing emails, to record their actual behavior. Did the user click the link, or did the follow protocol and report it to the Security Team? Or did they at least delete it? Measuring the results of these exercises across your organization will give you the insights you need to continuously improve your stance against cyberattack.

Reducing Vulnerabilities and Improving Response

It’s not a matter of IF you will be hacked. It’s a matter of when. What is critical is how quickly and effectively you respond when it happens.

A well-trained workforce is a crucial line of defense against cyber threats. Cybersecurity Awareness Training equips your organization with the skills not only to identify the threats, but respond to them when they happen. And eventually, they will happen.

Another fundamental part of Cybersecurity Awareness is understanding the risks associated with the digital endpoints, a.k.a. the Desktops, Mobile Devices, Servers, and Online Services that are the foundations of your digital footprint. Understanding the importance of basic security fundamentals as password protection, timely patching, and regular backups is paramount. By exercising these fundamentals, your team contributes to a proactive security culture, and thereby reduce risk. Adopting automation tools and having dedicated resources to enforce behavior is the key.

Furthermore, training modules on incident response enable organizations to minimize the impact of an attack by swiftly containing and remedying the breach, mitigating potential financial and reputational damages.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity training is a pillar in safeguarding your organization against ever-evolving threats. By increasing awareness, strengthening defense strategies, and reducing vulnerabilities, organizations and individuals can significantly reduce the risks associated with cyberattacks. Investing in comprehensive cybersecurity training programs not only protects sensitive data, but also instills a “security-first” mindset among your staff. Remember, when it comes to cybersecurity, knowledge is power, and training is the key to unlocking it.

When it comes to cybersecurity, knowledge is power, and training is the key to unlocking it.

If you would like to discuss your current Cybersecurity posture, we are here to help. To get a no obligation consultation with a CMHWorks Cybersecurity expert, please feel free to reach us at info@cmhworks.com.  Take a look at some of the managed security solutions we offer here.

Additional Information

Due on another dude's shoulders

The Five Cs for the Remote Workforce

75% of small to medium sized business owners say they’ll continue remote work options long term. Tech firm CMHWorks was already 100% remote before COVID. How did it work during the crisis? At CMHWorks we reviewed the impact of the changes in the business landscape and resoundingly agreed the following concepts were keys for us in 2020 and will continue to be in 2021.Here’s what we found.

The Five C’s of 2020

If you take away nothing else from 2020, here are five considerations we call the Five Cs we suggest every business consider in its 2020 strategy planning: 

  1. Culture– Having everyone engaged is critical. Think about all the employee issues managers deal with. Now consider dealing with those issues day-to-day with staff you don’t often (or ever) meet with in-person. Moreover, your company’s ability to instill or maintain the cultural vision, principles and behaviors when your staff is rarely, if ever, physically together in critical.
  2. Controls– All policies, practices and procedures need to be reviewed and brought in line with the remote reality. Address these things now or address them in mediation later. 
  1. Costs– Cost control is critical. Give no one a blank check for equipment, software, subscription services, etc. Have your team devise best practices and how to implement well considered goals. 
  1. Customers– Don’t forget your clients/customers. Access to staff may be altered greatly. Clients accustomed to face-to-face dialog may balk at using video chat. Be understanding of their needs and explain the purpose of new measures. Stress relevant benefits such as drive time savings.  
  2. Cyber Security– Implement stringent and appropriate cyber security protocols to protect your intellectual property. Your business’s assets and communications are at more risk than ever before, not due to the pandemic, but due to internationals corporate espionage primarily at the hands of bad actors like China and Russia.  

Key Takeaways

Make no mistake, a remote workforce can produce significant challenges to the execution of day-to-day operations if not designed and managed correctly. Approach these challenges now, not when the company drives off the rails of common internet security practice. 

All of these are shared challenges. Your competition must deal with them as well. Therein you can also find opportunity. Protect your staff and assets. Value your customers. Be smart about communication technology and do business in the ways of tomorrow. One thing for sure. “we’ve always done it this way” should never be spoken in a company meeting ever again. 

Outsourcing Funnel

Outsource Time-Consuming B.S. to Accelerate Your Business

Why do businesses outsource? There are more reasons than the chorus of “cost cutting” would have it. Obviously, reducing spend may be one of them, but there are many others. It depends in part on what they are outsourcing. Large corporations may outsource key activities, like manufacturing or supply chain management.

Other businesses and entrepreneurs may outsource peripheral tasks so they can focus more on core competencies. There are many such tasks that go into running the engine of business each day, such as: bookkeeping, accounting, call-center operations, human resources, logistics and shipping, and infrastructure maintenance — or, if you please: a bunch of time-consuming B.S. (that is, business services).

Read the entire article on Medium.

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