Thursday, February 18, 2021

5 Benefits of Public Managed Storage Services You May Not Know About

Public cloud providers offer resources and services to their users without having to install any local software. The provider manages the necessary equipment and enables users to use the resources they need for their projects. Whether users simply need another Managed Storage Services location or full development to develop and distribute applications, the public cloud offers services to customers over the Internet. Its pay-as-you-go pricing model helps professionals reduce service costs. Also, because they are publicly available, they are easy to implement and deploy.

These are some of the most popular benefits of the public cloud. However, using public cloud services also provides a number of other benefits and bonuses that you may not be aware of. To see how the public cloud brings benefits for your business, read 5 benefits of the public cloud you may not have known about.

No responsibility for maintenance

Public cloud providers fully maintain the servers and hardware necessary to run their services. This means that the user never has to worry about keeping the equipment on their side. This reduces the operational costs of managing physical hardware but also eliminates time spent troubleshooting hardware problems. Compared to private cloud architecture, where the user installs the server and equipment on their premises, the advantage is obvious. By outsourcing server maintenance to a public cloud provider, your IT staff will see efficiency gains.

Latest technology

When you use your own hardware, you must maintain your infrastructure. Sometimes this means upgrading existing equipment to suit your needs or replacing technology that is not working. This can be expensive and, depending on the device, time-consuming to implement. In contrast, public cloud providers take care of hardware upgrades for you. Because they serve multiple users at the same time, they regularly update their equipment to provide the fastest and most reliable systems.

Security without perimeter

The public cloud infrastructure is multi-tenant, which means that multiple users are on the same server at the same time. While this is somewhat dependent on other users on your servers, multi-user public cloud servers are generally more secure than private cloud deployments. Public cloud providers place a great emphasis on security because they store information and data from other companies. On the other hand, private cloud infrastructures are maintained and protected privately in the company, so they must implement effective security strategies.

Frequent penetration tests

Penetration testing (or penetration testing) involves testing a computer system, application, or infrastructure for security holes. A penetration test specifically looks for holes in the system through which malware or dangerous data can enter. When deploying a private cloud, you must perform manual penetration testing or configure the software to do it automatically. Public cloud providers conduct continuous penetration testing to ensure that their cloud environment is secure for users.

Server redundancy

While public cloud providers promise five nines of availability, their servers will crash at some point. When this happens, you can assume that any data or project stored in your cloud environment will be inaccessible. However, public cloud providers own and operate many interconnected servers and data centers in different locations. This means that the failure of a server does not affect the ability to run workflows or access data.

How Managed Storage Services Can Impact Your Business Growth?

Businesses are turning to secure cloud storage, a computer data storage method in which a hosting company or application provider stores digital data on external servers in record numbers. Every business has its own unique reasons for moving, but we bet they don't know all the benefits of Managed Storage Services.

We've compiled a list of five of these benefits to show businesses, both Managed Storage Services users and those still struggling, that business growth is often directly related to the benefits of Managed Storage Services.

1. Safe storage for backups

Do you follow the 3-2-1 backup rule? This rule encourages companies to create three copies of their data, with the first two stored in two different types of storage and the third stored off-site. The idea is that even if a disaster like fire destroys two copies on-site, there is still a third copyleft to use.

Before cloud storage, these third-party copies were often stored on removable hard drives and stored in garages or storage lockers. While this is better than not having an external copy at all, it was not a reliable method of exposing data to theft or damage.

With cloud storage, the third copy of your data will be stored in a safe place outside the office. With just a few clicks to drag a copy of your files to cloud storage, you're done. No matter what happens to your computer, server, or office building, you will always have a reliable and trustworthy copy of your data.

2. Greater Security

Ensuring secure file sharing for businesses is critical. Take a look at the following statistics.

  • 21% of the company's files are not protected.
  • 41% of companies have more than 1,000 confidential files unprotected, including medical records and credit card numbers.
  • 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses.
  • The number of ransomware attacks grows by more than 350% every year.

In other words, companies have vulnerable files. They are being attacked. And the frequency of attacks is increasing.

But cloud storage can bring you closer to protecting against cyber attacks. The most secure file sharing platforms will provide an additional layer of trust. By taking care of your credentials, you can be sure that only you, approved team members, and clients can access files stored in the cloud.

3. Remote work

One of the most unique benefits of cloud storage is that employees can work remotely. When all your work files are stored in the cloud, they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This includes using your smartphone in the tropics, on a plane in the middle of the night, and from your living room couch on Tuesday afternoon.

Does remote work affect productivity? A Stanford study found that home-based workers actually showed productivity gains over traditional employees of the same company. They were also less distracted and less likely to get sick.

A remote work permit can increase the attractiveness of a company to new job applicants, reduce employee turnover, and boost morale, which is one of the many benefits of cloud storage.

4. Higher productivity.

Cloud storage frees up a ton of space on office computers, allowing them to run much faster. Even if you save a minute a day during latency, a company with 500 employees can suddenly get more than 2,000 hours of work a year by increasing the speed of the computer with cloud storage.

But that might just be the tip of the iceberg. The survey found that employees at companies with more than 10,000 employees spent an average of 38 minutes searching for a single document, asking their colleagues questions, using a company directory, or sending an email to the entire company.

With cloud storage, a simple search can find a document in seconds, creating a sudden flood of free time within the company.

5. Cost savings

The cost of managing back-end servers can add up quickly. There are three costs to consider. First of all, this is the direct cost of the server itself and any additional equipment. Direct costs also include the electricity, heating, and cooling necessary for the equipment to function properly. You also need to consider indirect costs, such as IT staff and technicians. The last cost to consider is the loss of performance in the event of a server failure.

It's hard to say what the average cost of running a server is, as there are several variables to consider. But when you store your data in the cloud, you always have the exact number that the accounting department will record. The ease of paying a storage fee is a relief, especially when it is less than the total cost of storing data internally.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Managed LAN Services: 5 Reasons Your Business Needs Them

 We live in a global economy and it looks like the situation will not change in the near future.

For many companies, the main challenge was connecting different devices, individuals, and branch offices around the world. If you want to do business successfully on a global scale, you need networks that operate internationally.

This is where global networks come to the rescue. These are large information networks that are not tied to one place. They enable businesses and other organizations to build efficient networks and exchange information over long distances.

LANs have their own unique set of challenges and can make life difficult for IT teams. One way to avoid the many LAN headaches and leverage technology more effectively is to leverage Managed Lan Services, outsourcing network management to a team of experts so your team can focus on their work.

There are many advantages to this approach, and in this article, we'll look at six of them.

1. Better performance

If you want to optimize the performance of your LAN, the best way to do this is to outsource.

What does a high-performance global network look like and how to achieve it? One area is application performance.

With intelligent LAN management, you can prioritize network traffic by application, redirect traffic from congested network links, and improve overall application speed and efficiency.

2. Prepare for the future.

The tech industry is always changing at breakneck speed. Sometimes it may seem like a new innovation has barely appeared before the next big thing takes its place.

Adapting to this state of constant change allows you to accept new events as they arise and not exceed them. This is important in all areas of technology, including LAN management.

You must remain flexible in order to benefit from these constant changes without being distracted from them.

The best way to do this is by using a reliable LAN management service. Your job is to stay on top of things, continually anticipate change and make adjustments to keep your organization ahead of the curve, and capitalize on innovation as it emerges.

3. Protection of corporate intellectual property.

Cybersecurity is critical when it comes to managing the LAN. This is an important factor for any industry, but it is especially important for industries like healthcare and government that handle large amounts of sensitive data and face disaster if it is stolen.

Protecting corporate intellectual property is a top priority for security services. Failure to protect this data can result in huge losses.

But what is corporate intellectual property? It consists of things like:

  • Trade secrets
  • Future plans
  • Patents and Trademarks
  • Private client data

4. Perfect service and business continuity

In the words of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson: "Everyone has a plan until he gets him in the teeth."

It's the same in business: every company has a viable business continuity plan until it encounters real disruptions. So in many cases, things fall apart.

Burglaries, natural disasters, and electricity problems are just some of the unexpected disasters that can throw your entire business into chaos. This is especially true for a global company with branches in several regions.

A Managed LAN can help avoid these nasty shocks by:

  • Build a reliable network to withstand blackouts
  • Use multiple connections to ensure continued service even if some routes are out of service.
  • Leverage resilient networks for maximum availability
  • Provide failover to ensure service continuity at mission-critical sites
  • This preparation allows your business to keep the wheels running even in the event of an accident, with minimal waste of time and productivity.
5. Cost Savings

One of the main reasons to invest in managed LAN services is cost savings. By transferring control of your global network to a team of experts, you can reduce costs in multiple ways and do all your daily work more efficiently.

For example:

  • New equipment is more efficient and reliable than old equipment, so even at its original cost, it will save you money in the long run.
  • When paying for things like schemes, it is much more expensive for an individual business to do so.
  • No need to pay engineers to upgrade, repair, and maintain your network on an expensive ad hoc basis - your LAN management solution takes care of it all.
  • Working with a global network management team gives you the benefits of a large organization that can take advantage of economies of scale to reduce costs.

Instead of doing everything as a separate company and incurring huge one-time fees, you can get all the services you need in one place at a much lower, predictable, consistent price.


Top 6 Questions For Choosing A LAN Services

Proactively managing, monitoring, securing, and reporting across a complex network is not an easy task. Investing in Managed Lan Services may seem like the answer, giving you better network management and allowing you to benefit from a wide range of business benefits, including strong geographic coverage, high-quality performance, strong network security, and a wide range of services. voice and data services.

But how do you know if your chosen network provider is truly offering a next-generation network and helping you get the most out of it?

Here are 6 key questions to help you sort out all the problems.

1. How reliable is your network?

Most network providers will tell you that their network is resilient, but can they prove it? The key to researching is what failover and “self-healing” options your network includes. You should look for a full mesh infrastructure that provides alternate routes to key points in the network to ensure that if one link fails, traffic is automatically rerouted over the other. Also, find out how many ISPs support the network and if the ISP has a secondary network that it can take over if the primary network fails.

2. How is business continuity ensured in the event of an accident?

A good network provider will be able to reroute traffic even to employee homes, using various self-healing and other options in the event of a site-related disaster or disaster, ensuring that businesses can still trade in this disaster event. Ask how they maintain essential services during short incidents such as power outages. Do you have a disaster recovery plan/homeworker? Do you have two or more data centers connected to each other?

3. How do I know if your network is really secure?

Networks are subject to very different but equally disabling attacks, from covert cybercrime and denial of service attacks to old-fashioned vandalism in which copper and fiber are literally ripped out of the ground. Network security is very difficult and it can be difficult to establish the true reliability of a provider. Does your security policy include network protection? Are they in line with industry regulations? Do they have extensive intrusion detection systems and authentication processes? Ask them to show their objects.

4. How do you guarantee network performance?

Higher speed and bandwidth provides more capacity, which in turn enables more business-critical applications to run. Along with speed, the provider's quality of service (QoS) capabilities, dispute management, and future plans regarding resource availability must be considered. Ask them how they handle the waves of traffic. Will you have to pay more for constant Internet access? Are they IPv6 ready or do they at least have plans? Will your network support the growing demand from users?

5. How scalable and flexible is your network?

Your network must be scalable and capable of absorbing and supporting new technologies without the need for additional infrastructure or additional costs. Ask your provider if your network allows you to provide multiple business-grade cloud services, such as voice, data backup, corporate Internet, and VPN for all of your sites. Is it an MPLS network (which is particularly scalable)? Will adding new services break existing ones? Can telecommuters and telecommuters connect to the same core network?

6. What connectivity and integration options do your network support?

You need to ensure that your service provider's SLA includes a commitment to ongoing network management, regardless of who owns the actual link. The type of network, its coverage and connectivity, and the provider's network management policy are all important criteria. A high density of points of presence is also important because reducing the distance between your site (s) and your point of presence can significantly reduce costs. Also check to see if your provider offers different types of access links, from high-performance multi-gigabyte fiber optic cable to Ethernet, broadband, wireless, and leased lines. And if you care, find out if they are connected to JANET and/or accredited to connect to NHS N3.


Managed Network Services: Buyer's Guide

 It can be difficult to determine which managed network services are right for your business. Buying less than you need will slow down your business, but buying too much will waste resources. Here's our overview of the main features and their benefits.

Today's business can start with something more than an idea and a computer. The setting can be a kitchen table or a cafeteria. It is quite possible to start a business without an office, but today few businesses can start without an Internet connection. The expansion attracts more people and more computers that need to be connected not only to the Internet but also to each other. This may be easy for a one-room startup but quickly becomes more difficult for an organization that spans a large campus, such as a hospital.

Keep thinking big and imagine an organization with multiple sites. It can be several offices, hundreds of stores, several warehouses. Then there are remote workers who need to connect and even vehicles, devices, and packages that may need network connectivity and communication. What starts with an idea and a computer can quickly evolve into an organization that produces large amounts of data that must be transferred to colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders, and transferred efficiently, securely, and quickly.

This can be a headache. It costs money and requires IT management, which is why many organizations are turning to managed networks to help them compete in a rapidly changing environment. But where do you start? There are many services available, and below is an overview of the main options, starting with the initial connection to the Internet.

Managed LAN Services

However, most businesses require more than just an Internet connection. They need a local area network that connects their team to the applications and data they need to work. A Managed Lan Services connects computers, printers, shared servers, and any other devices you need to exchange information to keep your business running smoothly. These needs can often be flexible and unpredictable, so they need to use modern switches and routers to transport traffic efficiently.

For example, for the University of Westminster, the network must provide services to thousands of students whose demands for faster connection speeds and more bandwidth are constantly growing. Daniel Holter, Director of IT Infrastructure, says: “Our students are online all the time and expect to be able to access content, use online applications and collaborate while studying without interruption.”

The network the university was using relied too heavily on one connection, which often resulted in failures that the on-site team had to manually fix. Working with Redcentric, the university was able to modernize its network with new core routers designed to meet the huge bandwidth requirements within an affordable architecture. The resulting network eliminated the previous single point of failure and provides future reliability and protection, saving the university money.

A well-designed and managed LAN can work in complex environments such as universities, hospitals, large offices, etc. It can also reduce the demand for your IT team, allowing them to focus on more important tasks. A managed LAN can add features such as segregation and separation so that groups of users with different security or service needs can flexibly coexist on the network. It can even include things like Power over Ethernet (PoE), which allows Ethernet to be connected to power phone devices, Wi-Fi equipment, and other devices, reducing operating costs and installation time.

Managed WAN Services

Many organizations today need to connect multiple sites, and this can add another layer of complexity beyond the local network. A managed wide area network (WAN) network connects many sites, from factories and warehouses to offices and schools. It delivers the same performance, reliability, and security that an organization expects from its LAN.

For many organizations, their global network must connect to other specialist networks such as Janet, the UK Research and Education Network or the equivalent for the health sector, the Health and Human Services Network (HSCN). For these and other similar networks, such as the emergency services network, security and regulatory compliance are vital.

Networks like these are tempting targets for all types of attackers, from cybercriminals and nation-state actors to those who simply want to vandalize and disrupt operations. This is another case where finding a specialist with the relevant experience can save you money and time.

Even a standard wide area network can be challenging. When I! Sushi, a restaurant chain with 80 branches in the UK, turned to Redcentric because it had an inefficient global chain that caused regular blackouts throughout the chain. This sometimes went on for days, disrupting customer payments and critical reporting, and undermining customer confidence and staff morale. The problem was exacerbated by a contract with a supplier that did not facilitate flexible network expansion and divided support responsibilities between main contractors and subcontractors. When a problem arose, responsibility was transferred between suppliers.

SD-WAN

The proliferation of cloud technologies has helped create a new type of network: the software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN). As the name suggests, this is a software-driven virtual network rather than the traditional architecture of physical routers and switches. This approach enables you to send network traffic more intelligently at a speed that meets the requirements of the latest cloud applications.

Today's software-as-a-service applications in the cloud often appear to be running on the user's computer, but in reality most of the processing is done on cloud servers. For this to happen efficiently, so that users can get their work done without unpleasant delays, the connection must transfer data quickly. This is where SD-WAN comes in.

Although these are "virtual" networks, they need to be monitored, maintained, and protected. Firewalls, antimalware tools, web filtering tools, and other security technologies can protect both the network and its connections, just as they do other types of networks. The main difference is that the connection types can be more varied, from devices with physical connections to devices with wireless or mobile devices. This makes the network more efficient in terms of time and money.

 All of this can be done without burdening the organization's IT team, and all functions can be controlled by a managed service provider. The level of monitoring required will depend on the individual needs of your organization, but the industry standard is to check network availability every five minutes. With 24/7 monitoring, a problem that occurs in the middle of the night can often be resolved remotely before the customer is aware of the problem.

Managed Wireless Networks

We've talked in passing about wireless connections to your networks. They cannot be overlooked in modern business. From making your staff work more efficiently, to understanding guest usage, and even benefitting from your network, wireless can bring all kinds of benefits.

For example, Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, UK was the first racetrack in the world to offer a single wireless solution to all stakeholders. Previously, Ascot required TV companies to run many cables to connect to the network when covering horse racing competitions, while bookmakers and food service companies had to rent landline phone systems to accept credit card payments.

The wireless network, designed, planned and installed by Redcentric, addressed these issues and offered other enhancements such as wireless connections for all 500 Tote betting terminals and photo finishing equipment. Coaches and journalists can now also get information about replays and races. Even the turnstiles are networked to provide accurate real-time visitor counts in any area, allowing Ascot to sell more tickets.

Secure Remote Access

Wireless networks are ideal for flexible onsite work, but how can businesses stay productive when employees increasingly need the ability to work outside the office? Working from home is becoming more and more popular, but workers often want to work on the train, in a coffee shop, or at a client's office. In addition, they hope to be able to perform tasks from a variety of devices such as a smartphone or laptop.

To be productive, they need access to their data and applications, which are usually stored on the company's network. This includes all kinds of sensitive information that often needs to be sent over a public network for remote access to work. Fortunately, this problem can be addressed with an end-to-end encrypted virtual private network (VPN) that keeps employees productive while maintaining security and compliance.

Having a dedicated solution also brings other benefits, such as giving the business control over who has access to what data, from where, and from what device. For example, a company may decide that certain types of data can only be accessed from the company's smartphone, not personal. Or, they can deny network access from a public Wi-Fi network. All of this can be defined and monitored so that you can analyze user behavior and make sure you have the appropriate permissions.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you an idea of ​​which managed network services are right for your business. The ideal solution for most businesses is likely to be a combination of the above. This is one of the reasons a dedicated ISP is a good idea - they can make sure you only buy the services you need with the performance you want.

Other reasons, as we have discussed, are cost savings, reduced IT time costs and the confidence that experts are constantly monitoring your network. By addressing all of this, your organization can focus on its true priorities.

Monday, February 15, 2021

Why Efficient UPS Are Important To Partner Ecosystem In Your Business?

 The demand for computing power continues to grow in all areas of business, from small to large networks. As critical activities rely heavily on "always-on" systems, uninterruptible power supplies or Managed Ups Services play an increasingly important and significant role in keeping your business running.

Most UK businesses will experience power outages at some point, and the disruption that this can cause can significantly affect the ability of the business to continue operating, especially if the power outage continues for an extended period. Typically, these outages are short-lived and businesses can install a UPS battery backup to enable their business to back up critical data or continue performing critical services until power is restored.

We have compiled a list of 5 UPS benefits to highlight the importance of the protection that investing in the right UPS guarantees. Take action now and take the opportunity to eliminate future risks. Like other forms of insurance, UPS is a form of protection in the event of an unforeseen event that could negatively impact your business.

If a power outage occurs, stay connected.

1. Unleash the full power

The UPS provides instant and uninterrupted power in the event of a power failure. It also maintains power between mains failure and generator starting. After the battery is activated, all connected commercial devices will continue to work. During your work, you will avoid data loss.

2. Power changes

Protects against power changes that could damage electronic devices. The UPS monitors voltage fluctuations with stable output power.

3. Overvoltage protection

The UPS continuously monitors the incoming voltage and detects surges and spikes during power outages. If a hazardous condition occurs, the UPS will transfer to AC power, preventing the surge voltage from reaching the devices connected to it. When the peak disappears, the UPS reconnects its output to utility power.

4. Cost

What is the cost of lost productivity? What is the cost of recreating or recovering lost data? Installing a UPS keeps your workstations running. This is especially important if you are working with a deadline, if you are dealing with sensitive data / information and many other scenarios.

5. Ability to back up important data.

A UPS solution can give employees a window to back up critical data and shut down their workstations and servers, preventing data loss.

When deciding to invest in a UPS, it is very important to choose the right solution for your needs. DCR is committed to ensuring that the UPS supporting your IT system is monitored and maintained so that you can trust it to operate in the event of a power failure. The UPS is not a standard universal product; If it doesn't fit your company's devices, it may not support them. We have the knowledge and experience to help you recommend the right UPS system to protect your business. For small and medium businesses, large enterprises and data centers, we will conduct a free survey to recommend a UPS product and maintenance contract tailored to your business needs.

Working Process Of UPS System?

 An uninterruptible power supply, as well as an uninterruptible power supply, UPS, or battery / flywheel backup, is an electrical device that provides emergency power to a load in the event of a failure of the input power supply, usually utility power.

Managed Ups Services differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or generator standby in that it provides instant or near-instantaneous protection against incoming power interruptions with one or more connected batteries and associated electronics for low power users and generators and flywheels for high power users. Battery life for most uninterruptible power supplies is relatively short (5 to 15 minutes typically for small devices), but sufficient to allow time to connect an auxiliary power supply or to properly shutdown equipment. protected.

A UPS is not limited to protecting any particular type of equipment, but is commonly used to protect computers, data centers, telecommunications equipment, or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power outage could result in injury, death, or serious disruption. and / or loss of data. UPS units vary in size, from units designed to protect a single computer without a video monitor (rated at around 200 VA) to large units that power entire data centers (> 1 MVA), buildings (> 300 kVA) or manufacturing processes.

Different types of UPS design

There are three main categories of modern UPS systems: online, interactive online, or backup / stand-alone.

In a standby / stand-alone UPS system, the load is powered directly from the input power and the standby circuit is only activated when the utility power is disconnected. Most UPSs less than 1 kVA are line-interactive or standby, which is generally less expensive.

The Line Interactive UPS keeps the inverter online and redirects the DC battery current path from normal charge mode to supply current when power is lost.

The online UPS uses a “double conversion” method to accept AC input, rectify to DC for passage through a rechargeable battery (or battery strings), and then back to 120/240 VAC to power equipment. protected.

For large power supplies, dynamic uninterruptible power supplies are sometimes used. The synchronous motor / alternator is connected to the mains through a choke. Energy is stored in the flywheel. When the mains supply fails, the eddy current control system stores energy in the load. DUPS are sometimes combined or combined with a diesel generator [clarification needed] to form a Diesel Rotary Uninterruptible Power Supply, or DRUPS.

In recent years, a fuel cell UPS has been developed that uses hydrogen and a fuel cell as the power source, potentially allowing long run times in a small space.

How to Determine if the Managed Meraki Services are Right for Your Business?

In the past, enterprise-grade networking solutions were not available to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB). In the past, expensive ser...