While many fear these innovations, they shouldn’t. There are reasons to approach these latest innovations with caution, but outright avoiding them? Not the smart – or sustainable – approach.

Think of AI and ML as the latest iteration of continuously evolving technology, which often leads to businesses evolving and growing. Like many technological advancements before it, the responsible deployment of AI and ML won’t replace humans. Rather, those who know how to leverage these tools in their jobs will replace those who don’t.

Organizations should consider how any new technology solution can bolster their business goals and accelerate growth, including AI and ML.

Why would a company want an experienced, expensive human performing mind-numbing, soul-crushing tasks, especially if they don’t provide significant value, and amid an ongoing IT skills shortage? Instead, companies need people to focus on delivering value to the organization.

Consider the significant cost savings companies can realize by cutting 45 minutes of triage time for every network event. Imagine the cost savings to the business using AI to predict theft in stores or ML to self-diagnose network issues and reduce downtime. AI also has implications that enhance digital collaboration and reduce the need for minute tasks like transcribing, summarizing, and recording.

Predicting traffic flows, generating smarter analytics, and monitoring overall network health may save a few minutes per instance. But the savings could be significant over time.

Anyone who’s used ChatGPT knows it will get to an 80% correct answer today. It may not be perfect yet, but it’s improving daily. Think of AI and ML the same way – as powerful tools in their infancy with massive potential – especially for businesses wanting to maximize the value of their IT investment to focus on running and growing their business.

To evaluate the return on investment in security spending, consider the cost of a data breach, lost customers, or diminished stock value. Any possible scenario from a cyberattack should convince every company to make security an integral part of its IT posture.

New technology is scary. So is being left behind. Are you confident your foundation is built for whatever the business worlds bring next? TPx can help you future-proof your IT infrastructure. Get in touch to get started.

The post Why You Shouldn’t (Totally) Fear AI appeared first on TPx Communications.

Navigating the complexities of IT compliance is daunting. This article debunks prevalent misconceptions, clarifying why compliance is an ongoing process, crucial for businesses of all sizes, and a shared responsibility across the organization. Discover why simply meeting standards isn’t enough and how partnering with experts can enhance your security posture. Prepare to rethink your approach to compliance and gain insights on creating a robust, future-proof strategy.

Myth: Compliance is a (long!) checklist.

Truth: Compliance is a continuous process.

Compliance is never one-and-done, and it’s not a simple checklist to move through. Instead, an effective compliance program must constantly be monitored and improved, especially as regulations change. Don’t make the mistake of checking the box on one risk assessment and one employee training to assume you’re done. For example, even if you’ve implemented the basics of PCI DSS 4.0, continue improving access privileges, password management, and enhanced encryption.

Myth: IT Compliance doesn’t apply to me because I’m a small business.

Truth: IT compliance standards apply to businesses of all sizes, including small businesses.

Regulatory bodies do not typically exempt small businesses from compliance requirements because security threats and data breaches can affect any organization, regardless of its size. In fact, according to a Verizon survey, 46 percent of data breaches happen to companies with less than 1,000 employees. Non-compliance can lead to significant legal, financial, and reputational consequences. Plus, adhering to compliance standards helps small businesses build trust with customers and partners. Ignoring compliance can result in vulnerabilities that may be exploited, leading to severe impacts on business operations.

Myth: I need to hire an expensive expert internally.

Truth: Outsourcing compliance can be more cost-effective.

IT compliance is expensive because it’s complex, confusing, and time-consuming. But an in-house expert isn’t always needed. Many businesses partner with a managed services provider to maximize their budget and gain direct access to experts without shouldering the cost of salary, benefits, and training. For example, TPx’s Virtual Compliance Officer (VCO) Solution designs, implements, and manages your security program for less than an in-house specialist, and offers comprehensive IT compliance solutions to maximize your defensibility to compliance frameworks and cybersecurity threats.

Myth: Compliance is just too much to keep up with.

Truth: With the right help, it’s possible to become defensible.

While keeping up with compliance can feel like an insurmountable task, working with an expert in IT compliance gives your business a competitive edge when it comes to defensibility, since they can combine knowledge of key compliance standards with cybersecurity best practices. It also alleviates the manual, repetitive tasks of ensuring compliance. It’s all about having the right processes, resources, and partnerships.

Myth: Compliance belongs to a single team.

Truth: Compliance is a company-wide effort.

Relegating IT compliance to legal or IT bottlenecks your strategy and reduces its effectiveness. Instead, IT compliance is the entire company’s job because it involves policies, procedures, and behaviors that affect all employees and departments. Effective compliance requires everyone to understand and follow security protocols, handle data responsibly, and adhere to regulations. Cross-departmental collaboration ensures comprehensive risk management and fosters a culture of accountability. Plus, breaches or non-compliance in one area can impact the entire organization, making unified efforts essential for protecting the business and its stakeholders.

Myth: IT compliance is enough to keep my business safe.

Truth: Relying solely on IT compliance standards leaves you vulnerable.

IT compliance alone isn’t enough to keep your business safe because compliance standards often represent the minimum required security measures, not necessarily the best practices for your specific business context. Threat landscapes continuously evolve, and new vulnerabilities and attack methods emerge that compliance standards might not yet address. Comprehensive security requires a proactive approach, including ongoing risk assessments, employee training, advanced security technologies, and incident response plans. Relying solely on compliance can leave gaps that sophisticated attackers can exploit, so a robust cybersecurity strategy must complement compliance efforts.

Myth: Compliance requirements stifle innovation.

Truth: Effective IT compliance helps future-proof your business.

IT Compliance prepares your business for the future and supports your team in adopting new technologies easily. With the right frameworks in place, you’ll feel confident in outpacing competitors while following appropriate regulations. You’ll stay ahead of evolving threats, and as attackers become more sophisticated, you will, too.

To maximize defensibility and build trust with customers, work with an expert team like TPx, who understands your industry, threat landscape, and the ins and outs of major compliance frameworks like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC2, and more. Get in touch to get started.

The post Mythbusting IT Compliance appeared first on TPx Communications.

With a 60 percent reduction in operational costs, managed IT services are the ideal solution for businesses to maximize their IT budget for the highest value, especially in light of high inflation, decreased consumer spending, and higher-than-ever hardware and software costs. In tighter economic times, every line item counts on a business’s profit and loss statement, and IT is already a top expense. Get access to best-in-class technology and expertise with a managed service provider (MSP) who will act as an extension of your internal team and maximize your IT budget.

1. Reduce the cost of in-house employees while getting access to more specialized expertise for less

The average IT manager makes $152,916 annually, while a specialized cybersecurity analyst can make as much as $183,219 per year. Hiring and retaining top-tier professionals is incredibly expensive, adding up salary, benefits, ongoing training, and continuous certifications. Also, IT’s skills gap and talent shortage don’t make the competition any less fierce for highly experienced professionals. A serious cybersecurity talent shortage means you might not even be able to find the right people at all, regardless of job salary. Whether you want to outsource your entire IT team or augment a few niche skill sets, a managed service provider provides those experienced professionals for less.

2. Lower your overall cybersecurity risk

The only thing more expensive than cybersecurity employees, infrastructure, and frameworks is not having them during a cyberattack. Cyber incidents are crippling for most companies, with 60 percent of small businesses shutting their doors within six months. Ransomware payments exceeded $1 billion for the first time in 2023, and email phishing is getting more successful thanks to the implementation of artificial intelligence and sophisticated organized crime units. Reduce your overall risk and vulnerability by working with an MSP who can recommend, purchase, and implement exactly what your business needs.

3. Improve employee productivity and reduce turnover

The U.S. loses $1.9 trillion in lost employee productivity, and IT and admin teams are often overburdened with small, never-ending tasks like password resets, hardware fixes, and basic troubleshooting. Sourcing your equipment through your managed IT services provider is a smarter choice as they typically offer better pricing and terms thanks to their technology partners. This helps lower initial costs but also provides predictability to IT forecasting and budgeting. Plus, you’ll have clearer visibility on software and hardware costs for new technology in the future as your managed services provider knows multi-year plans for implementation.

4. Alleviate potential downtime

The average cost of downtime across industries is historically reported at $5,600 per minute, with recent studies showing an increase to a whopping $9,000 per minute. If critical systems went off for an hour, a day, or even multiple weeks, how long could your business afford to stay open? Consistent downtime also degrades customer experience and trust, potentially leading to churn. Managed IT providers support proactive backup and disaster recovery so that you can return to business faster and avoid alarming disaster recovery statistics.

5. Improved pricing on hardware and software

Hardware and software costs can quickly add up, especially if you’re upgrading multiple times a year. Sourcing your equipment through your MSP is a smarter choice as they typically offer better pricing and terms thanks to their technology partners. This helps lower initial costs but also provides predictability to IT forecasting and budgeting. Plus, you’ll have clearer visibility into software and hardware costs for new technology in the future as your MSP manages multi-year plans for implementation.

6. 24/7 support without overtime costs

Having human workers available 24/7 isn’t possible without massive overtime costs or a huge team. Managed services providers typically leverage both human and automated monitoring to protect your business around the clock, no matter the time zone. As your business grows and opens new locations, your MSP can scale for you instead of hiring additional staff, growing your company without incurring more hiring costs.

7. Access to best-in-class and emerging technologies to beat the innovation curve

Innovative technologies improve slow websites and applications, provide real-time inventory monitoring on supply chains, create a positive overall customer experience, and solve many other problems your business might face. Working with an MSP gives your organization unparalleled access to best-in-class and emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, machine learning, threat detection, and automation. Plus, you don’t need to hire and retain experts in-house to utilize the latest technology trends.

Partnering with an expert managed IT services provider saves money across your entire budget while getting your company access to world-class technology and expertise. At TPx, we help companies figure out how to maximize their IT budget for the highest value. Show us your IT bill, and chances are, we can help lower it! Get in touch to get started.

The post 7 Ways to Save Your Business Money With Managed IT Services appeared first on TPx Communications.

On the other hand, if you outsource M365 management to a managed services provider (MSP), you take the burden off your IT team’s shoulders and ensure you use this powerful suite to the fullest.

1. Maximize Your Investment

M365 has evolved into an essential component for many businesses, so it only makes sense to ensure you get the most from your investment by assessing what you need and how M365 can deliver.

Once you’ve determined how the suite aligns with your business goals, you can strategize how to use outsourced services to meet them. You can also take advantage of expert support and tips your provider may have about how to maximize your return on investment (ROI).

2. Better Value for the Money

TPx customers don’t have to pay more for licensing than they would if they went through Microsoft directly.

With an MSP, you get seasoned experts for deploying, configuring, and managing your 365 ecosystem. Microsoft does not directly provide these services, making your MSP a no-brainer.

3. Increase Productivity

When you outsource your Microsoft 365 management, your internal IT team has more bandwidth to focus on important initiatives. Without the distraction of M365 management, your IT team can get more done each day, including working on critical projects that truly move the needle for your business.

4. Reduce Overhead

It can be costly to hire and train Microsoft specialists internally. Hiring an MSP saves your organization salary, benefit, and retention costs while allowing your existing IT team to focus on the key functions of their job.

5. Access Better, More Responsive Support

It can be complicated and time-consuming to deal directly with Microsoft, and it often takes quite a while to resolve an issue. The relationships MSPs have with Microsoft give them better access to tech support than the average customer. As a client of an MSP, you benefit from these connections.

Thanks to years of experience, an MSP also often has the expertise required to tackle a wide range of questions and issues without needing to contact Microsoft at all.

6. Get Additional Services

A qualified MSP can do much more than simply manage your M365 system and can often provide backup, networking, or cybersecurity solutions. Taking advantage of a wide range of MSP solutions with one provider allows you to bundle costs and be more strategic with your IT spend.

7. Improve Cybersecurity

Your MSP can also maximize the security of your M365 implementation. This is critical as it is easy to place managing Exchange servers on the back burner, at least until something goes wrong. Instead of merely accepting these security risks, you can use an MSP to address and mitigate vulnerabilities and make sure every instance of M365 is properly configured and updated.

You gain a security advantage when outsourcing your Microsoft 365 management because your MSP can provide additional security features that protect your cloud applications.

8. Scale Quickly and Easily

If you need to add more instances of M365, your MSP makes scaling easy. And if you need to revert to fewer instances, scaling back is just as simple. Also, you know upfront what you’ll have to pay. This keeps your IT budget under control, eliminating unpleasant surprises as your business evolves.

9. Access M365 Consulting Services

MSPs serve as a strategic partner, helping you create a long-term plan for leveraging M365. By taking advantage of your MSP team’s deep experience with M365, you can benefit from innovative, forward-thinking strategies for using M365 to take your business to the next level.

Get the most out of your M365 investment with TPx. Connect with us to get started!

The post Nine Reasons to Outsource Microsoft 365 Management appeared first on TPx Communications.

Businesses are only as good as their network, and the network can be the difference between success and failure.

Despite the network’s critical role, most people don’t ponder it. They only notice when it’s down or not working properly, and they can’t email, participate in virtual meetings, make calls or complete an e-commerce transaction. Today’s app-based, cloud-centric environment demands a reliable network because, without it, the world stops.

The network is more important than ever as businesses move functions to the cloud and deploy edge computing, bringing information and computing capabilities closer to the devices and users that generate information. This approach improves application performance, reduces the bandwidth required for data transmission, and provides faster real-time insights by moving processing capabilities closer to users and devices.

As businesses grow, their needs evolve. So must their networks. In fact, companies cannot afford to build a network for today’s needs; they need it to meet tomorrow’s demands. Because it’s hard to predict the future, they must ensure it can quickly scale as their operations grow.

Companies must optimize their networks to achieve maximum scalability, reliability, and flexibility and build redundancies to maintain operations when encountering the unexpected.

Once an organization identifies and implements what it needs to make its ideal network a reality, it can use it to maximize its business outcomes.

A good network eliminates bad experiences.

When people say they have a poor network experience, they often don’t understand their network, its capabilities, or potential vulnerabilities.

Consider how many people have gigabit internet for their home office.

A few years ago, it wasn’t as common; few needed that bandwidth. Today, no one thinks twice about gigabit in-home internet as the average user moves large amounts of data depending on the application, particularly relying on video calls, file sharing, and Software as a service (SaaS) apps.

Apps have taken over the business world — both personally and professionally. Businesses must expand their network as more processes and workloads move to apps and leverage the cloud.

A perfect example is connectivity. Anyone who’s ever been in line at the coffee shop when the network goes down can attest to its importance. But more than leaving people needing a caffeine fix, it can sink a business as they cannot process credit cards, grinding commerce to a halt.

It’s the same in a business office environment. Anyone who’s been to a business meeting with problematic Wi-Fi knows how frustrating it can be.

As companies optimize their networks, they’ll ensure their teams can use apps more effectively. They’ll also make their entire network more plug-and-play by upgrading to newer — and inherently faster — technologies.

The biggest pitfall an organization can make is determining the solutions it “needs” without first considering how to operationalize them, how they will help drive business, and what will happen in a worst-case scenario.

Like a house built on weak ground, the best business solutions can fail without a strong foundation. Get in touch with TPx for expert advice on future-proofing your network. We can even manage it for you.

The post Why Networks Must Be Scalable appeared first on TPx Communications.

Bonus: A future-proofed, flexible IT infrastructure is also resilient and incorporates intelligent automation while remaining efficient and cost-effective.

DO: Assess Your Current IT Infrastructure

Identify the components of your IT infrastructure and assess their effectiveness. Ask if these components (especially those that are critical) meet current business needs. Consider the scalability of these components — can they all handle increasing demand?

With the ever-increasing rates of cyberattacks and cybercrime, it’s also critical to ensure your current infrastructure can withstand an attack and be quickly updated to protect against future threats.

Finally, consider the costs. How expensive will it be to maintain or patch your current systems vs. upgrade them?

DON’T: Rely on Aging Hardware and Software

When assessing your IT components, keep their lifecycle in mind. What will be going end-of-life or end-of-support?

Once software or hardware reaches end-of-life, it will no longer receive important updates or security patches. Create a roadmap for what will need to be upgraded and replaced over the next one, three, and five years to stagger the cost and prioritize areas of greatest need while ensuring critical systems don’t go down and cost your business precious time and resources.

DO: Collaborate With a Managed Services Provider You Can Trust

A great managed service provider will act as an extension of your internal IT team, supporting and maintaining your IT infrastructure and helping evaluate your IT infrastructure based on current and future business needs.

DON’T: Rely on Legacy Systems

Legacy systems create challenges due to limited integration and scalability, higher maintenance costs, and limited support. At best, they may run slow and can lead to frustration and slower business outcomes. At worst, they present a security risk.

If your business relies on legacy systems to provide critical functionality, make these a top priority when considering the future of your IT infrastructure. What does migration look like, and what will it cost?

DO: Leverage the Cloud and Automated Cloud Migration

As you look to the future, consider investing in cloud infrastructure. Cloud solutions allow IT infrastructure to scale as needed, enabling improved operational performance. Cloud solutions will also offer improved disaster recovery capabilities and enhanced remote access for employees working outside the office.

Many organizations use a variety of tools to migrate applications, workloads, and data to cloud environments. However, these differing tools can lead to inconsistencies that can cause business disruptions.

While various cloud automation tools can help eliminate redundancies and associated outages, another approach to automated cloud migration is working with a managed service provider. A reliable MSP will create an automated migration strategy and test it before shifting the entire workload.

DO: Plan for the Long Term

With technology driving more and more business growth, IT is no longer a reactive cost center. Instead of doing IT planning in a silo, technology leaders must consider the organization’s overarching vision for the future.

How will intelligent automation, or the use of AI and ML, factor into the future of your business? What additional technologies may business leaders ask to be onboarded?

If your business has a five-year plan, what part will technology play in it? Will they be adding employees or locations? Consider the big picture to make your infrastructure future-proof.

DON’T: Overlook Cybersecurity

Securing your evolving IT infrastructure requires a strategic approach to cybersecurity. Similar to developing a roadmap to ensure IT infrastructure meets evolving business needs, organizations should focus on building a security approach that takes into account today’s threats while preparing for the future. Key elements to consider:

• Backup and recovery: If a data breach happens, what’s your plan? How long will it take to recover, and how much will it cost? Having a plan in place is key.
• Proactive threat intelligence: Continuously scan the environment, understand emerging threats, and be aware of potential exposure points.
• Continuous detection and response: Discover, prevent, and recover from cyber threats faster.
• Cybersecurity compliance: Understand regulatory and compliance changes that may take effect soon. Incorporate this into your strategic approach.

DO: Invest in a Scalable and Resilient IT Infrastructure

Scalability and resilience are essential factors for both protecting and growing your business. As your business grows and changes, so does the demand on the network.

As more devices are added to the network, so too is the amount of data that is being transferred. Your IT infrastructure must be capable of handling these new requirements, and it must be resilient enough to withstand failures, outages, and threats that may compromise business continuity.

Engage an expert managed services provider to help future-proof your IT infrastructure to meet tomorrow’s demands. Get in touch with TPx to get started.

The post Do’s and Don’ts of Future-Proofing Your IT Infrastructure appeared first on TPx Communications.

Your relationship with your managed services provider (MSP) should be more than a quarterly business review or monthly check-in with your account manager. To really maximize your investment in technology, think of your MSP as a business partner, not just the vendor who runs your network or cybersecurity. The truth is, most customers could probably be using their MSP for a lot more. Here’s what your MSP wants you to know.

#1 We Do More Than Just Solve IT Problems

Sure, we can manage your network, improve your cybersecurity posture, make communication seamless, or provide fantastic internet. But that’s not all.

We also exist to help you use IT as a universal problem-solving tool. Productivity concerns? Employee burnout and turnover? Business continuity issues? Challenges with scaling as your company grows? Trouble keeping people connected across locations? We can help.

Leverage technology to work smarter, not harder. We’ll do the heavy lifting for you.

#2 IT Is an Investment

No one is debating that technology is expensive. But instead of seeing IT as a costly line item, we find that our most successful customers think of it as an investment – one that more than pays off.

In other words, you’ll get a solid ROI on what you invest in IT. Whether it enables you to do more with less, save money through efficiency, increase customer satisfaction, reduce your risk of cyberattacks, investing in IT – especially with the help of the great managed services provider – is a powerful way to boost your bottom line.

#3 … But It Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

The right MSP will work to understand your business and adhere to your budgetary constraints. In fact, an effective partner will often significantly reduce your expenses through cost-cutting strategies like:

• Using cloud-based IT, which saves money on software, hardware, and infrastructure
• Leveraging automation, resulting in faster, more accurate processes that cost less
• Reducing your IT spending by outsourcing services that would usually require heavy investment in your internal workforce
• Streamlining your IT services with a single vendor who will reduce your overall spend

#4 IT Isn’t One Size Fits All

Effective IT services are dynamic: They adapt to your business needs as your industry, landscape, and goals change. The right MSP doesn’t push off-the-shelf solutions. Instead, they understand:

• Current challenges
• Your business goals and technology roadmap
• Compliance requirements and cybersecurity threats you face
• The landscape of your industry

The more we understand about your business, the better we can help you leverage technology as an effective asset.

#5 We’re Here to Help

This may sound cliché, but it’s true: Our No.1 focus is to give you peace of mind and lift the burden of IT off your shoulders. We are more than just the folks who keep your IT running smoothly. We want you to see us as partners and trusted advisors, and we’re truly invested in seeing your business succeed.

Because we’ve seen it with (literally!) hundreds of happy customers, we understand that with the right support, you’ll be able to focus more fully on what matters: running and growing your business.

Are managed IT services right for you? Get in touch with us for a complimentary review of your current IT bill — chances are, we can help lower it while also providing better service.

The post What Your MSP Wants You to Know appeared first on TPx Communications.

1. Almost Half of All Data Breaches Occur in Cloud-Based Systems

Even when sensitive information is kept off-site, malicious actors can access it. Last year, almost half of all data breaches occurred in cloud-based storage. Public clouds (those offered by third parties) were also prime targets. Data stored in both cloud-based and physical storage creates redundancies to support continued business operations, even if a breach occurs.

2. Only 5% of Business Downtime Is Caused by Natural Disasters Such as Floods, Fires, and Earthquakes

Despite their low occurrence, natural disasters are typically unpredictable and can be catastrophic. If an entire physical server is destroyed, vital data can be lost forever with no hope of recovery. Multiple resiliencies help organizations bounce back, as data will remain in another location if one center is lost.

3. The Global Average Cost of a Data Breach in 2023 Was $4.45 Million

Between the personnel needed to fix a breach, unplanned downtime, and impact on your customers, a data breach is costly. The global average of $4.45 million per data breach increased from prior years, highlighting its detrimental effects. Preventative measures are essential, such as implementing comprehensive cybersecurity measures, incident response planning, and regular employee training.

4. More Than Two-Thirds of All Outages Cost More Than $100,000 in 2022

An outage that costs $100,000 may seem small compared to the previous statistic, but the consequences are still far-reaching. For small businesses and critical infrastructure industries — like financial services, industrial, transportation, energy, or healthcare — a service outage can compound issues due to the impact on customers and supply chains. Thorough backup and recovery protocols and locations are critical to reducing the effects of such an event.

5. Nearly 35% of Companies Lose Data Permanently and Do Not Recover It

In 2022, 35% of companies that experienced a data disruption could not recover the data. The leading causes of permanent data loss are:

• Lack of data backups
• Corruption or encryption from malware
• Data loss between backups

Proactive steps against permanent data loss — such as backups, multiple resiliencies, and data monitoring — can help prevent this loss, which can cripple operations and revenue.

6. 37% of Servers Had at Least One Unexpected Outage in 2023

A bad actor doesn’t have to take down a platform or application directly, only disrupt access. About one-third of all servers had at least one unexpected outage last year. For the fourth year in a row, cyberattacks caused the most damage, but the top causes include:

• Infrastructure outages
• Storage hardware failures and application software issues
• Public cloud providers

These causes emphasize the need for a robust backup and recovery plan that touches all facets of company data usage, from storage to encryption and backups.

7. 74% of Data Breaches Were Caused by Human Error, Including Social Engineering, Error, or Misuse

A simple mistake is all it takes to leak sensitive information, so it’s no surprise that 74% of data breaches involve the human element. It’s mission-critical to ensure that employees have regular training on cybersecurity best practices and how to spot phishing and social engineering attempts, especially if they work from home.

Optimize Uptime and Resiliency With Data Backup and Recovery

It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” data breaches or unexpected downtime occur. A multifaceted data backup and recovery plan is critical so businesses can focus on getting back up and running in a worst-case scenario instead of scrambling when every minute counts.

TPx understands that your business can’t afford to be offline, and losing data permanently simply isn’t an option. With a Managed Backup hybrid solution, your data is backed up both on-site and in a secure cloud location, providing extra security, flexibility, and redundancy — and potentially saving you millions should an incident occur. Get in touch with us to get started.

The post 7 Critical Data Backup and Recovery Statistics for 2024 appeared first on TPx Communications.

In today’s law firms, technology is omnipresent – and essential. But hanging on to outdated technology can impede productivity and even affect client outcomes. Given the steady increase in cyberattacks against the legal industry, your law firm must also be laser-focused on cybersecurity measures that protect confidential systems, documents, and client data.

All in all, it has never been more important for law firms to keep current with technology. Below are eight signs that you may benefit from an IT upgrade.

1. Your Hardware Is Outdated

Are employees and lawyers using old laptops that slow them down, clunky monitors, or desktop phones that seem to have issues every other day? Do employees often bring in their own devices like iPads or laptops to work on instead of the company-provided computers? If your legacy hardware is impeding productivity, it’s time to upgrade. There’s a reason upgrades are important: they keep you productive, effective, and more secure. Keeping up-to-date with newer technology and engaging a managed services provider (MSP) specialized in law firms will ensure you can implement automatic patching to increase productivity and enhance security by maintaining a close eye on all devices connected to your network. Plus, bring-your-own-device policies can get unruly. If possible, instead determine how to equip team members (especially lawyers and other executives) with their preferred equipment.

2. Everything Is Done Manually

Law firms have an overwhelming number of small administrative tasks that must be performed daily to keep operations running smoothly. Meetings must be scheduled, emails carefully reviewed and sent to multiple parties, and progress on cases reviewed and updated. Phones need to be answered, messages sent, mail dispatched – the list never ends. If all of those tasks are being performed manually, it’s time to investigate automation to enhance productivity, reduce human error, and streamline workflows.

3. Nothing Is Backed Up

Think of how difficult it would be for your lawyers and supporting staff to operate if they lost billable hour entries, confidential documents, or other information associated with the firm. In addition to financial damages, you’d face losing clients and the potential for deep reputational damage. That’s why it is crucial to back up your firm’s data and take the necessary steps to ensure it can all be recovered promptly when needed, no matter what caused the outage or loss. With increasing ransomware attacks and other factors like natural disasters, IT managed services for law firms can help you an effective backup strategy to prevent loss and expensive downtime. In addition to setting you up for rapid data recovery, the right MSP will also help you document your policies and procedures and regularly test your disaster recovery plan so you are fully prepared in case of emergency.

4. Technical Support Is a Constant Issue

Do you find yourself waiting indefinitely for small issues to be fixed? Is the IT team (if you have one) overrun with service tickets and unable to take on big projects? Is that one specific printer always down? These small irritations can compound into massive loss of productivity over time, not to mention impeding the delivery of rapid, quality service to your clients. Outsourcing to a managed services provider for law firms can help solve this issue and deliver other significant ROI.

5. Your Office Still Relies Heavily on Paper

While the legal industry still manages many paper documents and physical mail, it’s all the more important to consider both the physical and digital safety of confidential documents. Paper can be easily stolen, accessed, copied, scanned, or lost. If you don’t already, invest in a cloud-based document management system, making it easy to store, organize, and secure files. A bonus: Leveraging these modern systems will enable your lawyers to access documents and information securely from anywhere.

6. Your Digital Filing System is Unorganized

With a lot of paper comes a lot of scanning. But where do things go when they are scanned? Who has access to what files? How are permissions determined? Your firm needs a long-term plan for filing and access controls to maintain security, confidentiality, and business continuity. Map out how you want your files to be organized and decide on universal nomenclature for naming and organization. Set the goal of establishing a standard so well thought-out that if any attorney left the firm tomorrow, you’d easily have access to all of their files and another attorney would be able to pick right back up where they left off.

7. Adhering to Compliance Requirements is Daunting

Compliance is central to legal work, from individual client confidentiality requirements to broader standards like ISO and regulations like HIPAA. Without the proper technology and rigorous cybersecurity measures in place, compliance regulations could cost your firm lasting reputational and monetary damages. A managed IT services provider for law firms can help ensure that your firm is continuously defensible to industry compliance requirements.

8. Old Tech is Holding You Back

Is it taking too long for your lawyers to get the information they need? Is your technology slow to retrieve important information? Is your firm having issues with its phone system? For law firms, providing excellent customer service is a must. And a key part of providing excellent customer service is making sure the technology you are using is fast, and always-on. With effective technology at their fingertips, your lawyers and staff will be more effective, productive, and able to provide the customer service your clients deserve. Engage a managed IT services provider specialized in law firms to take a hard look at your current infrastructure and help prioritize where your budget would go furthest when it comes to upgrading your tech.

Technology is crucial to a law firm’s long-term success. TPx specializes in managed IT services for law and designs services that help with productivity, security, and compliance, all while saving on costs. Get in touch with us to start your tech upgrade journey.

The post Eight Signs Your Law Firm Needs an IT Upgrade appeared first on TPx Communications.

In today’s world, there’s no business that doesn’t rely on information technology (IT) or the internet for day-to-day operations, profitability, and the ability to stay in business. The right technology is a crucial expense that facilitates business growth and protects your assets through business continuity. From natural disasters like floods to cybersecurity hacks like ransomware, much can go wrong and catastrophically disrupt your business continuity. The right IT solutions and structure help prepare your company for all these scenarios and provide other invaluable benefits.

1. Reduce Cybersecurity Risk

A devastating cybersecurity attack that forces your operations to come to a complete halt is extremely disruptive to business continuity. From costly ransomware to man-in-the-middle attacks, cybercriminals are only becoming more targeted and sophisticated in their tactics. Many businesses are unable to recover after being hacked due to:

• Financial Losses: Financial losses due to a cybersecurity attack can be significant. According to IBM, the average cost of a breach in 2023 was $4.45 million, and for many businesses, this can be a door-closing event. Costs may include regulatory fines, lost revenue, ransom fees, and more. If your business is entirely shut down due to a cybersecurity incident, you’re losing money by the minute.
• Business Disruption Costs: In the event of a cyberattack, your business might be entirely down for days, if not weeks. How long could you survive with a complete halt of operations? What if your full supply chain went down? Reliability is also a key factor in customer satisfaction and retention, so if they can’t access your system, website, or portal, you could face long-term consequences.

Loss of Customer, Stakeholder, and Shareholder Trust

Most consumers already distrust how organizations protect their data and sensitive information (with good reason!), and disruptions to business continuity make establishing and regaining trust difficult. While the exact level varies by industry, most consumers are skeptical about how companies handle consumer data. A high-profile data breach or attack heightens these concerns, and 87% of McKinsey survey respondents said they would not do business with a company if they had any concerns about their security practices.
Having the proper defenses in place reduces your risk of a damaging cyberattack. Proactive cybersecurity measures can help defend your business from:

• Supply Chain Attacks: As one of the most vulnerable and critical logistic systems, supply chain attacks are exploding in popularity, increasing by up to 633% within one year according to one survey. Supply chains are not only massively disruptive, they can also lead to long-term delays in business continuity and shut down operations for lengthy (end expensive) periods of time.
• Ransomware Attacks: Ransomware is one of the most popular cybercrimes, affecting 66% of organizations in 2023. During a ransomware attack, a hacker holds your data for ransom, refusing to release it unless your company pays. The problem? There is no guarantee your company’s data will be released even if the ransom is paid.
• Phishing and Human Error Incidents: A whopping 88% of data breaches are caused by human error, such as clicking on an email phishing scam. Phishing scams are meant to trick and manipulate employees into revealing sensitive information or logins and passwords. Security awareness training is the most effective method to help your employees be more resilient to these types of attacks and can be the first line of defense when it comes to business continuity.

2. Prevent Business Disruption

What would happen if your primary place of business flooded or was ravaged by a fire tomorrow? Unfortunately, many businesses would be unable to resume operations for a significant amount of time. The right IT infrastructure minimizes the impact of major business disruptions through:

• Backup and Recovery Strategy and Methods: Managed backup and recovery is a crucial way to ensure business continuity. These methods offer peace of mind and continuous protection of your systems and data. Backup files are safely and securely stored, and you can quickly restore systems from a clean backup after a cyberattack.
• Maximizing Uptime: It’s crucial that your most critical systems — such as your website or other platform — do not go down. Having resilient customer-facing solutions (like your app, website, and phone lines) that are always on and available helps preserve your business and reputation with customers. When you consider how to maximize uptime, take into account all of the tools that facilitate your business on a day-to-day basis: This should include at a minimum your phone systems, network, and internet connection.

With the right IT in place, a managed services provider can help mitigate disastrous business downtime and get you back up and running quickly. With an expert partner, your IT leadership can focus on revenue-generating motions and supporting employees and customers if something goes wrong. Let your managed IT provider fix the issues in the background.

3. Optimize Collaboration

The right IT facilitates collaboration in a dispersed world. Your team no longer needs to be in the same conference room to get things done. Online, cloud-based tools facilitate online file sharing, high-quality video and audio meetings, and other features like breakout rooms and whiteboarding that make it possible for dispersed teams to collaborate no matter where they are.

Transform IT From Expense to Asset in Business Continuity

Business continuity is critical to satisfied customers, trusting shareholders, and a collaborative work environment. IT doesn’t need to be a bulky line item that bogs down your budget. Turn IT into a true asset for your business. Work with TPx’s managed IT services to build and structure the right IT for your company while you focus on growth.  Get in touch with our team to learn more.

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There’s no doubt that technology comes with a cost, with companies spending an average of 19% of their revenue on software in 2023. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Here’s how investing in the right technology makes you more profitable in the long-run.

1. Improve Your Cybersecurity

According to IBM, the average data breach costs $4.45 million, and some businesses never bounce back from so significant a loss. Investing in cybersecurity tools and a security services provider to manage them will significantly lower your company’s chances of a cybersecurity attack and improve your resilience in case of an incident. Bottom line? It’s a lot cheaper to invest in cybersecurity than it is to recover from an expensive attack.

2. Prevent Expensive Downtime

Downtime is expensive. It can significantly impact your revenue stream, reduce productivity, and even result in compliance-related fines. The fact is that outages and system failures happen, and your organization needs to be ready when they do. Whether it’s due to a hardware malfunction, natural disaster, targeted cyberattack, or even human error, downtime is something all businesses need to be prepared to minimize. Investing in maintenance, monitoring, and backups provided by a managed services provider (MSP) is worth its weight in gold when the inevitable happens.

3. Enhance Productivity

With the right technology in place, employee productivity is greatly enhanced, from tasks to project management and communication. For example, unified communications solutions allow teams to collaborate faster and more effectively. Whether in the office, on the road, or at home, they can exchange ideas and documents in real-time.

4. Reach Your Goals Faster

When you enable employees to use tech that facilitates automation, you can speed up processes and accomplish key company goals more quickly. Automation also helps free up employee time to focus on revenue-generating projects.

5. Deliver Services More Quickly

With the right technology, your organization can deliver services to customers and internal team members far more quickly. For instance, you could use a point-of-sale solution to streamline store operations. You could implement a website optimization tool to ensure your pages load faster. Many companies even invest in customized applications that make it easier to perform business-critical tasks more quickly and efficiently.

The key is to isolate your most significant service delivery challenges. Then, reach out to a managed services provider for ideas about improving those processes with tech solutions. By letting your challenges lead your tech decisions, you can prioritize faster service delivery instead of merely buying tech because it’s hot at the moment.

6. Boost Customer Satisfaction and Retention

Investing in the right technology gives your company the tools to meet customer needs faster without sacrificing quality. As a result, your clientele gets better and more reliable service, making it more likely for them to remain customers.

For example, the right tech can help:

• Decrease response times to customer issues and concerns
• Facilitate more efficient and faster support ticket systems
• Increase service availability
• Optimize fulfillment and shipping times
• Increase the speed of your website
• Improve user experience when it comes to customer transactions

7. Prevent Employee Turnover

The best way to utilize your IT team’s talents is to prioritize projects that push your organization forward. Far too often, IT teams get tied up with manual, repetitive tasks that could be outsourced to an external service provider. Leverage a managed services provider, to keep your IT staff engaged and productive and prevent burnout and turnover caused by overwork.

8. Evolve with the Market

The market changes quickly, and investing in the right tech solutions is the only way to keep up. In recent years, AI has drastically changed how leading companies get work done and satisfy customers. By investing in AI-driven solutions, companies remain on the cutting edge and keep pace with those leading the industry.

TPx can help you make the most out of your technology spend. Talk to our experts about your current IT bill and how we can consolidate your costs to make you more effective and productive.

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The average IT budget for a small businesses is around 4% of revenue. But as your business expands and scales, this percentage can creep up, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in expense. Businesses want to make the most of their IT budget, which often means looking at areas to trim costs and invest in emerging, innovative technology. These popular IT cost-cutting strategies that can help you save money to reinvest in your business.

1. Take Advantage of Cloud-based IT

One of the best IT cost-cutting strategies is investing in cloud-based technology. Cloud-based technology has lower upfront costs in software, architecture, hardware, and infrastructure, and it’s also cheaper and easier to maintain. Instead of housing, cooling, and maintaining huge data facilities, cloud-based technology saves both time and money in terms of manpower. For example, investing in cloud communications instead of outdated legacy telecommunications technology saves money and allows you to scale demand up and down without purchasing additional hardware or space.

2. Standardize IT Processes and Systems

If your business operates multiple locations, it’s especially important to standardize IT processes and systems. Standardization and consistency allow you to optimize resources, build a stronger network, and streamline business processes. While each location operates separately, your organization as a whole will enhance its productivity, reduce operational costs, and be able to scale effortlessly with simplified processes. Not only is multisite IT management easy to oversee, it can also improve your bottom line.

3. Take Advantage of Automation

One of the most exciting innovations in IT is automated technology, which allows businesses to shift away from time-consuming manual processes. There are many areas of IT you can automate, from service requests and ticketing systems to asset management, data cleansing, and patch management. Tedious, repetitive IT tasks like password resets, file monitoring or event log monitoring often waste significant time and resources. All of these processes can be automated if implemented correctly. This saves your company expense while also reducing factors like employee burnout and turnover: When your internal IT team can focus on strategic initiatives, they are likely to achieve higher employee satisfaction.

4. Outsource IT Services

According to McKinsey Global Institute, some organizations see up to a 60% reduction in operational costs when choosing managed services. IT is one of the most expensive business functions to maintain in-house because of emerging technology, cutting-edge innovations, and the high cost of employing in-demand, highly-skilled workers. By outsourcing some or all of your IT to a managed service provider, you can reduce costs significantly and free up your remaining in-house team to work on more strategic projects. Small, repetitive tasks could be automated, and your internal team can stay highly focused on big-picture initiatives that make a positive impact on your bottom line.

5. Streamline Your IT Vendors

One of the best IT cost-cutting strategies is reducing your IT vendors and bundling services. That will you save operational time and you can typically get a more cost-efficient package by working with a single provider for multiple services and solutions. Economies of scale come into play when you house different offerings under one vendor, so explore IT partners with a comprehensive portfolio, including services like unified cloud communications, cybersecurity, networking, employee security awareness training, and more.

TPx Can Help Reduce Costs With Affordable IT Solutions

Explore affordable, high-quality managed service providers like TPx to reduce your IT costs. TPx offers a full suite of affordable business IT solutions like internet, networking, cybersecurity, and cloud communications solutions. Simplify your processes, streamline your technology, minimize your workloads, and reduce repetitive tasks — all while saving significant money. Curious how much you can save with TPx? Contact us for a meeting today, and we’ll personally assess your current IT bill to show you how much money you could be saving.

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