Anderson Technologies’ Junior System Administrator Quentin Topping sits down with Libby Powers to talk about the little things a managed IT services provider does every day to protect from big disasters. Sometimes, things like insurance and maintenance can seem useless, but insuring your business against potential disaster is something you’ll wish you’d done before the worst happens.
After nearly a year of pandemic-related roadblocks, business owners may feel like circumstances have taught them everything about telework and managing employees both near and far. On the other hand, some business owners may still gravitate towards a strictly on-site model for better collaboration and simpler secure IT. As workers slowly shift to the “new normal” moving forward, and make their long-term needs clear, it may be time to consider a permanent hybrid workforce option.
Download our Work From Home Checklist to learn more about implementing WFH securely.
A May 2020 study of US workers concluded that 55% want some mixture of home and office working in the future. Workers identified that working from home can be easier on employees who have long commutes, require flexible scheduling, or work better outside normal office hours. This is one of many reasons why global companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Dropbox, and Box have all created hybrid work-from-home programs that allow their employees more versatility. Whether your temporary telework solution has been successful or you’re just coming to terms with a partially remote work future, it is time to consider adopting a hybrid remote work model.
How does a hybrid work-from-home model differ from more traditional remote or flexible work models?
Planning is the main key difference between a hybrid model and fully remote or flexible models. The hybrid work-from-home model is not the stop-gap options hastily built in early 2020 to cope with changing regulations. A hybrid work-from-home offering is a permanent option for employees and should be implemented with the care and caution necessary for this shift.
Hybrid telework models look different from company to company, but the universal idea is to allow versatility and autonomy relative to your business’s individual needs. Some workers may find working from home most days and coming into the office one or two days a week works best for them, while others may alternate one week in-house and the next week at home.
You can also implement a hybrid model by department. This could look like hands-on workers and management working from the office while your marketing or accounting teams remain at home where everything they need is accessible remotely.
Hybrid models can significantly reduce overhead, as employees not physically present at the office aren’t using electricity and other resources—including internet bandwidth, depending on your telework model. This can be a helpful way for businesses to right-size their office space and technological needs.
A few things to keep in mind when considering a hybrid telework model:
Working from home is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Building an effective hybrid model means preparing for the possibility that what works for employees right now might be different in six months’ time. Whether you’re fully remote or transitioning to a hybrid telework model, setting up the essential infrastructure and knowing what your team needs should be the biggest factors in creating a hybrid model that works for everyone.
Do you want to implement a secure hybrid telework model but aren’t sure where to begin? Check out our telework guide and connect with us today!
Microsoft and Google are two of the most common technology foundations. Which one you choose can fundamentally change the way you and your employees operate. The decision is a big one and will impact your company for years to come.
In cyber security circles, Ubiquiti Networks, manufacturer of wired and wireless network devices, is infamous for more than their products.
Over a period of 17 days and 14 wire transfers in 2015, $46.7 million was transferred out of Ubiquiti’s coffers to criminals’ bank accounts based on a made-up acquisition in an elaborate Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam. The money disappeared quickly, and the transactions went unquestioned for two months. Time and effort ultimately recovered over $16 million, but lost an additional $39.1 million in professional fees, and countless amounts in reputation.
Business Email Compromise, sometimes known as CEO Fraud, accounts for a sizeable chunk of unwanted spam and fraudulent emails that, according to Kaspersky, make up about 50% of typical inbox contents. Monetary loss related to BEC is more than that of data breach, ransomware, and other malware attacks combined because targets are chosen for their high-level access to information or funds. In their 2019 report, the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3) estimated that the loss related to BEC totaled about $1.7 billion, which was over half of all cyber crime losses recorded that year. When BEC succeeds, it makes the news.
The Ubiquiti BEC case is one of the most famous and offers insight into criminals’ methods and how to stop BEC attempts in their tracks. Even a major technology firm like Ubiquiti should never assume they are immune to these increasingly sophisticated attacks.
May 19, 2015: New CFO of Ubiquiti, Rohit Chakravarthy receives two emails after just one month on the job. One appears to be from his boss, Ubiquiti founder and chief executive Robert Pera. Ubiquiti later explains that their own email systems were not compromised, but the email that Chakravarthy receives has all the appropriate indications he sees in in communications with Pera. Faux-Pera explains that Ubiquiti is in the process of a new, confidential
As expected, Chakravarthy receives the first of several emails that appear to be from Latham & Watkins lawyer, Tom Evans. The only thing that seems to be off about this communication is that the email address used is from “consultant.com,” but with the rest of the story matching, Chakravarthy follows the instructions, overruling standard industry procedure and, based on all reports, acts alone.
Over the next 17 days, Chakravarthy makes 14 wire transfers to accounts around the world, in places like Russia, China, Hungary, and Poland. These payments total $46.7 million.
June 5, 2015: The real Robert Pera receives an email from the FBI. They’ve been monitoring one of the accounts Ubiquiti has paid into, and they inform Pera that Ubiquiti has become a victim of business email compromise. This is the first he has heard of these substantial money transfers. The company works with one of their banks to begin legal proceedings and quickly recovers $8.1 million.
August, 2015: Ubiquiti discloses the scam and the money involved to the press. No names are shared at this point, but Chakravarthy resigns.
2016: Ubiquiti has recovered a total of $16.7 million.
2020: It does not appear that Ubiquiti has recovered any additional funds, but has lost at least an additional $39 million in fees and bears the unfortunate reputation as a cyber security risk.
In a 2016 (but still relevant) public service announcement, the FBI identified five recognizable types of BEC scams to watch out for:
Building and enforcing standards that require checks and balances when sending any money over a certain amount, as well as employee and client data, can circumvent BEC as a matter of course.
Any question or concern addressed before clicking a link could be the one that stops a BEC attack and saves your company millions, not to mention maintains your reputation.
Is it time to partner with trusted IT experts to address cybersecurity as the viable threat it is to your business? Contact us for a free cyber security/infrastructure audit or employee awareness training.
Want to read more about the Ubiquiti scandal? The following sources provide further insight.
Technology and innovation go hand in hand more often than not. The drive for creativity and efficiency feeds the ideas that lead to technical innovations, and innovative tech allows us to process information and complete tasks faster.
Manufacturing and engineering firms know the importance of the tools they use every day to find and solve problems. The difference in using outdated models or underperforming systems truly shows in final output. These businesses need technology and innovation to be on the same page, especially when it comes to IT and cyber security.
MC, the Controller of a manufacturing company in St. Louis, Missouri, can personally attest to the importance of a tech partnership that is tuned toward innovation. MC’s firm of about thirty employees is split between the production line and administrative positions. Though the production side of the company is straightforward in its technical structure and IT needs, the company as a whole was having issues making their needs about problems and projects understood by their former IT vendor. Crucial issues with their server were blocking MC from moving forward with creative projects that would allow the company to grow.
Server Life Preserver
The primary technical issue MC’s company was experiencing—the thing that needed to be resolved before moving forward with anything else—was their server. “We were in the Stone Age with the equipment we had,” MC says. The age and slow speed of the server was dragging systems down and barring him from moving forward with new tech upgrade ideas his company’s previous IT partner failed to implement.
We were in the Stone Age with the equipment we had.”
When he signed to a managed services agreement with Anderson Technologies in September 2020, MC had hopes that the company’s existing server would last for another year. However, the server had other plans. “Initially I told everybody we’d be ready to do this [server transition] in December,” MC says, but “we [had to do] it late October. We were having a lot of troubles with the server going into that period, so it was good timing.”
The new server had twice the capacity as the one it was replacing, which meant backup services also needed to grow. Planning this change in service required extensive coordination between MC and the Anderson Technologies team. Full server transitions can be tech challenges for companies in any industry, as they require all connected devices to fully disconnect from the network while new virtual avenues are created. “I haven’t really done a server transition like that,” MC says. “I’ve added new servers and moved some things around, but this was a whole big piece, the whole thing.”
Thankfully, the Anderson Technologies team was able to subvert expected downtime significantly. “The team worked throughout the evening and early the next day and got everybody up and running,” MC says. “I was thinking they’d be done around noon that day, but I think it was more around 8 or 9[A.M.]—so ahead of what was expected.”
“It’s almost like they work here,” MC says of the Anderson Technologies team. “It’s not just getting it settled, it’s ‘What else can we do to make this better?’ That’s really what we need.” That above-and-beyond mindset can make a world of difference in an industry where uptime is money, and listening to the experts can keep everything moving and functioning.
In times of major upgrades, or day-to-day monitoring, you should feel like your MSP works both for and with you—because they do.
MC points out the difference. He witnessed the Anderson Technologies team “caring about if people are up and running and getting it set up right” from the start. “Everybody’s been super fantastic to deal with. They’re very responsive and really wanting to dig into it.” An IT team you can count on is essential to building an innovative business infrastructure.
Band-aid Fixes vs. Lasting Solutions
Once a company establishes their IT foundation, it’s only natural to think “What’s next?” Manufacturing and engineering companies have a business model built on finding new ways to refine their processes and make them more efficient.
Before MC partnered with Anderson Technologies, he had decided to install some monitors in the company’s production area that showed jobs in progress, “so the production team would have an idea of what’s coming in the queue, what’s currently in production, what’s in assembly, [and] what’s ready to be shipped.” This new IT project would also include a similar monitor in the breakroom with a scrolling bulletin for employee notices.
MC’s previous IT vendor was less than enthusiastic about this project. “A lot of things that I wanted to do, the IT company was just blocking me from,” MC says, “because they may not have experience with that or with a certain piece of equipment or software.” MC had posited the idea of using mini PCs to run the monitors. “They said, ‘No, that will be really expensive. You don’t want to do that.’” Dismissive of MC’s vision, the vendor installed several separate virtual machines, which stressed the company’s already-wheezing server.
“That really caused issues for our server,” MC says. “The machines didn’t really run like they should, and [the previous vendor] kept billing me more and more because they kept sending people out to come troubleshoot it.” What could have been an inventive addition to the production team’s workflow ended up being a hassle. “I’m frustrated because I think, ‘Well, if we just did what I said then we wouldn’t have these kinds of issues right now.’”
Fast forward to the present, and Anderson Technologies heard MC’s production monitor aspiration and agreed that the mini PCs would be the best solution using the company’s existing infrastructure. “[Anderson Technologies] understood it all and guaranteed that I won’t have those kinds of issues if I make that move.” The lower profile machines are now set up in the server room alongside the new server, where they can’t drain the hardware’s resources or get dusty in the production area.
In times of major upgrades, or day-to-day monitoring, you should feel like your MSP works both for and with you—because they do.
The new IT partnership (and the new server) allowed MC’s company a moment to catch its breath after years of playing IT catch-up. “The issues that I had with the [former] IT company were providing more band-aid fixes just to get something working instead of finding the root cause of a problem so it wouldn’t come up again,” MC explains. “I would have a project list… and they would never get those things done. We would have our quarterly meetings but we weren’t any further, just adding more to the list.” Patching the same problems over and over again will only burn your resources and hinder developments that, if implemented, could give a company an edge in the industry.
What’s next for MC’s company? “The next thing would be getting into some cloud-based systems,” he says, “probably more into the two- to five-year plan”. This type of network and software transition would be a big shift, but now that the downtime from constant tech hiccups is in the past, MC’s company can focus on the manufacturing specialties that really matter.
Personal attention and respect can go a long way in a relationship with an MSP. Having IT professionals who actually listen creates space for innovation and creativity. In this new partnership, MC understands the choices the Anderson Technologies team is making, and Anderson Technologies takes the time to listen to MC’s needs and suggestions. “It’s the right way to do business,” MC says. “It’s been really refreshing.”
Are your IT essentials covered and running efficiently, or is a frustrating IT vendor or outdated hardware keeping the door closed to more innovative opportunities? If you’re feeling stuck, or just looking for an alternative solution, contact us today!
COVID-19 has changed the way people live and do business, so it’s more important than ever to take a step back and assess the needs of your company. Do you have too many computers for your employees, or not enough? What products and services are you paying for each month? Whether you need to streamline your resources or you find your business bursting at the seams, having infrastructure that doesn’t fit your needs can cost you money and efficiency.
The first step to rightsizing your business is to take a long look at what you have already. A thorough audit of what you have, what you’re spending, and what you need provides the necessary information to determine the need for, and to begin, any business restructuring. Anderson Technologies recently helped two clients assess their IT infrastructure and identified several areas that are essential to cover in the auditing process.
Throughout the process, keep asking yourself these three questions:
If you need to streamline your resources or adjust to a smaller, sometimes home-bound, workforce, auditing is essential. Don’t think that just because it worked before you should keep doing things that way.
Finding innovative ways to work has been the reality for many businesses in 2020, so it’s more important than ever to audit your business’s changing needs. What programs are you running that you may no longer need? Can your vendor accommodate your new needs? Check contracts to see what options you have to rightsize software or hardware to your changing situation. If your current vendors aren’t able to adapt, it may be time to find a more flexible one that can accommodate present conditions while preparing for future growth.
Another strategy for streamlining your resources is searching for cheaper options to infrastructure you already use. If what you had was working fine, you probably didn’t need to look for new solutions. Take the time now to determine how much money you currently spend on your technology and search for less expensive but robust versions.
Anderson Technologies has seen firsthand how auditing IT systems can save a business’s monthly expenditures. After a thorough look at the computer needs of one new client, our technicians found that the client was paying close to twenty thousand dollars a month on virtual servers they didn’t need. Our IT experts were able to reduce that number to around four thousand dollars per month by rightsizing to the client’s actual needs.
Auditing plays a key role in preparing your business for expansion. Look for what is limiting your business’s growth. If you don’t have enough physical space, being tied to an office can slow down your ability to expand. Cloud options that allow employees to work from anywhere could provide the flexibility your business needs to move forward.
It’s important to work with your IT staff or MSP to keep track of your changing technological needs. With expert help, you can find effective hardware and software so that you don’t over or under buy for your IT infrastructure. It’s also important to have IT professionals maintain your security during both the auditing and operation change process. Your security requirements will grow along with your business. Don’t just stay with what you have now, secure what you are going to be.
No matter how you need to rightsize your business at the moment, begin planning for your post-COVID-19 business now. Your business is going to continue changing when we move beyond a COVID-19 lifestyle. Prepare for that future now.
Rightsizing gives you the chance to move to technology or vendors that can adapt to both streamlining resources and growing needs. Don’t get tied down to software or vendors who won’t change with you. Invest in your future so you’re ready to move your business forward in this constantly changing world.
If you need help rightsizing your IT infrastructure to your business’s needs, contact Anderson Technologies at 314.394.3001 or email us at info@andersontech.com.
For more than six months, the world has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. A true return to “normal” may seem far on the horizon, but many companies are preparing their offices for employees to return full- or part-time. There’s much to prepare in order to meet everyone’s needs during this transition, some decisions are more complicated than others depending on the size of the company. Just as important as the physical safeguards you put in place are the policies and preparations for the future. Now is the time to think about how your business will handle a crisis in the future.
Employee safety and peace of mind is of the utmost importance when transitioning away from work from home. As people return to the office, ensure that commonly used surfaces, such as doorknobs and cabinet handles, are cleaned daily. While regular cleaning products are fine for a keyboard and mouse, monitors require special screen-safe products. If computers or workstations are used by multiple people, encourage sanitization of commonly touched surfaces before beginning work.
Listen to your employees. Some will be more apprehensive about the cleanliness of the office than others. Take their concerns to heart and do your best to make them feel safe and comfortable. Follow the local laws and stay up on CDC guidelines.
Communicate Clearly and Regularly
Communication between employees and management will make the transition back into the office smoother. Talk with your employees about what conditions they need in place to feel comfortable at work. Create policies that lay out exactly what is required of each person and ensure everyone understands their personal responsibilities before they arrive back at work. For some, regulations may seem unnecessary, but others won’t be comfortable returning to the office without them.
Make sure your employees know the best ways to communicate with management and each other. This is especially important for hybrid work environments. Software such as Microsoft Teams is an easy tool for maintaining contact with everyone. Zoom or other video conferencing applications are a great way to replicate the feeling of a face-to-face meeting in the office.
Review IT Infrastructure
A lot of changes happened in a short time to accommodate so many people suddenly working from home at the start of the pandemic. Now that your business is ready to bring some or all of your employees back to the office, review your technology infrastructure with your IT staff or managed services provider (MSP). You may find some of the changes you made back in March 2020 are no longer necessary or need to be modified to ensure both in-office and at-home workers are working effectively. This includes, but is not limited to, checking on software licenses, internet bandwidth, and new hardware.
Physically preparing your business to bring workers back is important, but it’s not the only thing you should be doing right now. Across the IT industry, companies found that the upheaval around the pandemic revealed holes in policies and business continuity plans, if a company had one prepared at all. This is the time to take the lessons learned from COVID-19 and build out the policies and plans that will protect and guide your business in the future.
Work-from-Home Policy
Unless you already had some employees working from home, chances are you didn’t have a work-from-home policy before the pandemic. During your IT infrastructure review, document the IT needs of an employee working from home and the best methods for them to access company data. Discuss with your IT team or MSP the security requirements necessary to protect your systems and make sure it is implemented on home and office workstations as necessary.
Clearly write out the proper use of remote access and ensure all employees have read and understand the policy. Define who is allowed to work from home during emergency situations and who may continue to do so on a full- or part-time basis once your office is up and running. You may not have had time when the pandemic began, but it’s never too late to shore up your defenses with thorough policy.
Emergency Response Plan
If you didn’t have a set emergency response plan, you probably found sudden quarantine shutdowns a hectic time. Don’t be caught unprepared again. As COVID-19 continues to affect the world, future shutdowns can’t be ruled out. Take this time to put your experiences on paper and create an emergency response plan. What didn’t you have prepared that you needed? What did you have that didn’t work as well as you thought? What did work? Use the answers to these types of questions to make sure the next time you’re in crisis, you have a plan to make the process easier. Reach out to your IT team or MSP to help fill in areas that were troublesome, and get emergency solutions in place now to prepare.
Business Continuity Plan
This was probably the plan you could have used most during lockdown if you didn’t have it in place already. While the emergency response plan gets you through an immediate crisis, it’s the business continuity plan that brings your business back to working order after the crisis has calmed but before things return to normal. Some businesses are still in this transition, so it’s more important than ever to prepare a solid policy to help your business through this unpredictable time.
The business continuity plan should lay out how your business will function outside of the office environment. How will you communicate with vendors? With clients? What happens if you cannot fulfill commitments? What steps will you take to prevent loss of productivity? These are no doubt questions you’ve already been asking for the last six months, so don’t waste the opportunity to build a business continuity plan now while the answers are fresh in your mind. This will prepare you not only for other types of disasters, but for any future disturbances due to the pandemic.
Returning to the office takes more than a good cleaning. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught businesses valuable lessons on emergency response and business continuity. Put those lessons into practice with set policies while creating an atmosphere of prevention in the office.
Need help reviewing your IT infrastructure before bringing employees back to the office? Contact Anderson Technologies. We can be reached at 314-394-3001 or info@andersontech.com.
