Managed IT Archives - NuTech Services LLC

Feb, 2020

What’s the Point of An IT Assessment

In business today, information technology is being utilized in a manner that can make it seem like business isn’t possible without it. In some cases, it isn’t, but then there is technology being deployed that is simply inefficiently deployed, used haphazardly, and could be looked on as more of a liability than anything else. Frequently getting an IT assessment can help keep your IT infrastructure secure, agile, and aimed at solving your organization’s operational issues. Today, we’ll take a look at the IT assessment.

Promoting Assessment

The purpose of having an assessment done on your organization’s information systems is simple: to gain a more complete understanding of how your IT works in regards to your business. That’s not to say that having an understanding how everything fits will, in itself, make your business’ IT more effective. No, that’s on you, but in order to know that you need to change, eliminate, or reconfigure parts of your IT strategy, understanding what systems do what is essential.

Moreover, the assessment gives decision makers a look at how inefficient their IT strategy is, and how to make the changes necessary to make those systems work better for the company. A thorough IT assessment will have several parts to it. Today, we are going to go through what to expect when you get an assessment; or, what you need to look at if you want to objectively assess your own business’ IT.

Two crucial metrics that will repeatedly make an appearance are your total cost of ownership, and your return on investment.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – This takes a look at the comprehensive cost of a given piece of business technology. Therefore, it goes beyond just the cost of procurement, and also considers how much the solution will cost to operate and maintain, as well as how much additional cost any downtime could create.
Return on Investment (ROI) – This familiar metric measures your profit from a single investment, once all procurement and operating costs have been covered.

Let’s look how these metrics come into play during an IT assessment:

At the Start

Typically, if your organization is going to conduct an IT assessment, there is some reason for it, and the results of this assessment (or audit, if you prefer) will likely have more to do with your future investments than many other actions would. This fact dictates that the audit is carried out by IT professionals who have the training needed to recognize inconsistencies, irregularities, and most importantly inefficiencies.

Action

Any good IT assessment will begin by putting together a comprehensive Asset Detail Report. This will tell you what IT resources you have, when they were implemented and serviced, the latest firmware and software license and much, much more. This will cover all of your IT, including printers, copiers, cloud-based platforms, computing and networking hardware, software, and more.

Additionally, you might find it helpful (at this stage) to create something known as a site diagram or network map. This visual guide is used to map out the flow of data through your business.

Analysis

The assessment team will next audit your network by performing a SWOT analysis (which analyzes your business network’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). In this process it will become more clear what potential problems your network has and what it’s doing to function efficiently. There will be investment suggestions aimed to help reduce your organization’s IT risk, while also promoting solid TCO rates and improving your ROI.

Compilation

Finally, a risk report is assembled that combines the results from a variety of factors, including:

Network hardware
Security configuration
Servers
VPN/Remote Access
Websites, domain names, and hosting provider
ISP
Phone System
Email, messaging, and conferencing
Computers, mobile devices, tablets
Cabling
Printers
Software and mobile apps
Procedures, policies
Technology vendors

There are some other factors included in a finished assessment report. These include the status of domain controllers, the Active Directory settings, other potential vulnerabilities (like weak passwords and missing software updates), and any known network vulnerabilities.

Your finalized assessment will give you a comprehensive report that will be an indispensable tool for decision makers.

If you are looking for help identifying your company’s IT issues, call our knowledgeable technicians today at 810.230.9455.

May, 2018

Monitoring and Automation Make for a More Secure System

Information technology, in many ways, is a necessary evil. Sure, modern businesses more or less require it to remain competitive, but it also opens up your business to a multitude of threats. Maintaining your security is made much easier with automated monitoring tools. Today, we’ll discuss how to use these tools to protect your business.

The Situation at Hand
Let’s face it, there is a mammoth amount of cyberthreats out there that could potentially infiltrate your business during your daily goings-on. What’s worse, it only takes one to find a weak point in your security and cause you and your business no small amount of trouble – and as though that wasn’t enough, this mammoth amount of cyberthreats is always growing and adapting to be more effective.

Frankly, unless your entire staff is devoted to maintaining the business’ security, it is highly unlikely that your business can keep up with the threats to it.

Unless…
There are a few solutions to this quandary – the first of which being the monitoring services that a trusted MSP like NuTech Services can provide. With the assistance of top-of-the-line automated tools to help detect and identify threats to your security, our team can ensure that your business remains safe.

Why Automation Helps
One of the reasons that our automated tools are so effective is that the slim chance of human error on our end is effectively mitigated. Rather than having our eyes trying to detect the minute warning signs of impending issues or threats, we have systems and software that utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning to catch threats before they darken your door, so to speak.

As a result, you can devote less of your valuable time, energy, and focus on keeping threats out, and more time on innovating and optimizing other, income-generating parts of your business.

If you would like assistance in setting up an automated system or would like to discuss our monitoring solutions a little further, please give us a call at 810.230.9455.

Sep, 2017

Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Managed IT

Have you had to make substantial technology investments in the past year? How much money do you think you will spend this year? If you have a solid technology budget in place, you’ll know how much you expect to spend, but what happens if critical systems fail? Are you prepared to cover the cost of new technology, the management of that technology, and the staff that you’ll need to do so? If you are even a little unsure about it, managed IT services could have plenty of value for your business.

There are two critical facets to every IT strategy. The first is based in demand. What technology does your business need to be MOST successful? Do you need one server to deploy the software that your company uses? Three? Five? What do you do for communications? What do you do for storage? There are a lot of variables at work when deciding how to deploy technology solutions, and since there is so much cost associated with these systems, many businesses cut corners to provide their organization with technology solutions but end up putting their overall sustainability at risk.

The second facet, and often most costly, is based in supply. Your supply of technology has to be monitored, managed, and maintained to provide you a reasonable ROI on your technology investments. Typically, the cost of onboarding, training, and deploying a proficient technician far outweighs the cost of new technology; and, to make matters worse, the more technology your organization deploys, the more resources you need to have to ensure that all is running efficiently, and as intended. After all, the downtime that comes with fledgling technology, is a major problem for any organization.

NuTech Services can often provide a substantial cost reduction, better services, better technology, and a better return on your technology and management investments than buying new technology all the time, and hiring people to manage it. We utilize industry-leading remote monitoring and management software, leverage automation, and dispatch certified technicians to help businesses like yours build and maintain robust technology. We also have partnerships with some of the industry’s best vendors to ensure that every client has access to the technologies they need to build an efficient and secure IT infrastructure.

By delivering comprehensive IT management, our managed IT services are exceptionally valuable. If you run an Michigan business that is looking to improve your processes, deploy powerful technologies, and manage the technology you have, call us today at 810.230.9455.