Traditional time division multiplexing (TDM) networks have done an excellent job of delivering phone calls, managing test data, and even migrating data to new infrastructures. But it simply doesn’t have the flexibility of SD-WAN. Since TDM networks assign a static time slot for each piece of data, they can’t compete with internet protocol (IP) networks, which can divide, send, and regroup data in myriad ways.

The flexibility, scalability, and efficiency of IP networking pave the way for software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WAN). These give you control over how you move data, use your network, and manipulate traffic to meet your business’s goals.

What Is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN involves optimizing your wide-area network using software to direct traffic. You can think of an SD-WAN solution like a traffic control mechanism. Data moves like vehicles traveling down streets — but only the specific streets chosen by the traffic control managers. Those managing the system also decide how many cars can travel on each street, when, and which vehicles are allowed in.

It’s the same with SD-WAN. You can control the kind of data that can flow through the network, when, the paths it can take, and its destination.

For example, suppose a retailer uses a traditional, inflexible network for its internet service, communications across multiple locations, videoconferencing, point-of-sale (POS) system, and in-store intranet solution. Sometimes, everything works fairly well, and any delays or latency go unnoticed.

However, the retailer’s POS system often suffers latency or dropouts. This is because the combination of internet usage in each store, high-definition videoconferencing, and large data files sent from one store to another consumes too much bandwidth.

To fix the problem, the retailer installs an SD-WAN solution. Using SD-WAN, network engineers can “direct traffic” in a way that ensures the most business-critical services get the bandwidth needed to work without a hitch.

They prioritize the POS system, which is central to the retailer’s revenue model. When there are company-wide meetings, the videoconferencing system also gets priority, ensuring there aren’t dropouts or glitches during important presentations. In this way, businesses can leverage SD-WAN to optimize the performance of their networks.

How SD-WAN Solves Today’s IT Challenges

The modern business network has to be flexible enough to adapt to whatever changes a business makes. This includes adjustments to marketing strategies, operational approaches, and ways of meeting customer needs. SD-WAN gives you the control and flexibility you need to adjust your network’s performance — automatically or manually — in an unlimited variety of situations.

SD-WAN makes agile network management possible by meeting challenges such as:

• Bandwidth adjustments. Cloud-based services and applications, for instance, require varying amounts of bandwidth, and SD-WAN makes it easy to meet these needs.
• Unreliable networks. You can have your provider set up an SD-WAN architecture with automatic failover mechanisms. If there’s an issue with the primary network, your failover system can automatically spin up a backup solution.
• An SD-WAN system can come equipped with end-to-end encryption and access control systems that keep your data safe and intruders away from your digital assets.
• Application performance. Whether it’s a CRM your marketing team needs to launch a campaign, a POS, or an ERP that processes manufacturing data, there are some apps your business can’t live without. SD-WAN ensures these have the throughput they need to receive, send, and process important data.
• If you need to add a new location, connect more employees, or launch an additional product line, SD-WAN can make sure your network grows with you. Your provider can reconfigure network assets and restructure data flows to meet new needs relatively quickly.

Benefits and Advantages of SD-WAN

SD-WAN gives you the ability to design an intelligent network that delivers exactly what you need. Imagine a highway packed with cars, slowly edging forward, bumper to bumper, while there are other highways and streets alongside it that are empty. It’s inefficient and slow. SD-WAN gives you access to many different “streets” you can use to send and receive information, as well as the control necessary to decide what to send, when, and which data to prioritize.

Better Network Performance

Using your SD-WAN network, you can prioritize the applications that are most important to your business. There’s no need to worry about whether or not they get the bandwidth they need to provide the kind of performance your employees and customers expect.

For example, an IoT device may need to process a vast amount of information in real time without interruption, or a VoIP solution may have to manage dozens of calls simultaneously without glitches. SD-WAN ensures that your network provides these systems with the bandwidth they need.

Straightforward Network Management

Your IT team, whether you use in-house staff or an external provider, can control your entire network from a centralized interface. This gives them the power to:

• Monitor your network’s performance and traffic, looking for issues.
• Manage network performance so it satisfies the needs of your applications.
• Adjust your network to optimize performance.
• Use automation to expand or adjust your network according to predefined conditions.

In addition to the simplicity you get with SD-WAN, you also save considerable time because complex network adjustments can be made in a single software interface, either in your office or remotely.

Improved Security

SD-WAN solutions have built-in security features, such as web gateways, firewalls, and encryption. These prevent attackers from accessing your network and malware from flowing to your endpoints.

You can also have an SD-WAN system equipped with role-based access controls and similar systems that greatly reduce the chances of a malicious actor infiltrating a sensitive system.

One of the most significant benefits of the security features of an SD-WAN solution is consistency. You can apply one set of rules across your entire network, making sure different locations, offices, and employees follow the same operational protocols. This is especially helpful considering the diverse array of data protection laws and industry requirements. With SD-WAN, you can ensure every medical facility in your network adheres to HIPAA standards, for example. Or, if you do business with companies in the UK, you can establish GDPR-compliant data management systems across your entire ecosystem.

Analytics

When you have SD-WAN, you’re empowered not just to manage your network but also to analyze how data moves through it. Your system can collect information about which applications use the most data and when. This information is particularly valuable for organizations that need to scale as more or fewer customers interact with their applications. By understanding the bandwidth requirements of each app, you can make strategic decisions around the kind of internet service you need.

The analytics that an SD-WAN system enables are also useful for identifying trends. For instance, if the number of users accessing your mobile application has been steadily climbing over the last six months, your SD-WAN solution can surface this data. Using this information, you can decide when and how to grow your business.

Determining Whether SD-WAN Is Right for You

SD-WAN offers numerous advantages, but it may not be the ideal solution for every business. If your organization has no plans for growth or expansion and your current network infrastructure is functioning effectively, you might not need SD-WAN at this time.

To decide if now is the time to start considering SD-WAN, you can ask the following questions:

• Do we currently have any network challenges? For reference, if you never experience lag time, there aren’t any issues with latency, or your applications always perform up to end-user expectations, you may be able to delay the SD-WAN conversation.
• Is growing our business a high priority? For some organizations, maintaining the status quo is sufficient, and growth is not necessarily on the docket. If this is the case with your company, and your network is currently performing well, you might be able to put the SD-WAN conversation on pause until you decide to pursue growth.
• Do we need to tighten our security? While it’s hard to imagine a company that doesn’t have security concerns, those that have simple, intranet-based networks with strict role-based access control systems may not have SD-WAN on their radar. But if any of your business assets, such as apps, cloud-based services, or website, connect to the internet, SD-WAN can improve your security.
• Do we have a complicated network — or will it get more complicated down the road? Some companies may have only one location and run applications using an on-premise server. In this case, SD-WAN may not be necessary. On the other hand, if you have more than one location, use cloud-based apps, and need connectivity to manage multiple business functions, SD-WAN should be a priority.
• Are internet costs a concern? SD-WAN gives you the leeway to analyze your bandwidth and speed needs and optimize your current internet usage for your business. After an SD-WAN optimization, you may find that you can downgrade your internet service and still enjoy top-notch operations. This can save you money each month.
• Do we need greater network visibility? Because SD-WAN gives you a single pane of glass through which to view all of your network operations, many organizations use it to understand how data flows through their system and to pinpoint potential trouble spots. Some businesses also use the visibility that SD-WAN enables to troubleshoot network issues quickly. It speeds up root cause analysis and limits downtime.

If you answer yes to any of the above questions, it’s time to start exploring your SD-WAN options. Remember that SD-WAN is flexible, so even if your environment is fairly simple now, you can implement SD-WAN and scale up or adjust it as needed.

How to Choose an SD-WAN Provider

Choosing the right SD-WAN provider is crucial because you need a provider that understands how to improve your network’s performance, efficiency, and security. As you make your decision, here are some suggestions that may help:

• Take time to pinpoint what you need — both for now and for the future. Some companies need the ability to adjust how much bandwidth certain applications or services need. Others want a simpler, more centralized network management solution. By making a wish list, you can compare how different providers fit the bill.
• Compare the scalability each provider offers. Scalability comes into play in terms of how much a solution can scale and how quickly. Map out the kinds of scaling you’re most likely to need and check whether a potential provider can accommodate your growth.
• Think about the kinds of network environments you use. Do you use a hybrid, public, private, or on-premise architecture? Some providers may do a better job of managing hybrid cloud environments than others. In some cases, a provider may excel when it comes to the public cloud but may not be able to manage a multi-cloud system as well.
• Determine whether the company’s customer support is adequate. Can they take support calls on weekends or during holidays? What is the average time it takes to resolve network issues? Do you have to pay extra for enhanced support packages?
• Check each company’s references. Collect several references and dedicate a morning or afternoon to chatting with them. You should ask about how they handle challenges, average uptime, and whether they can think creatively to meet your business’s needs. You can also ask about each company’s weaknesses and determine which ones you’re willing to live with.
• Make sure you can afford the solution. Your total cost of ownership is often justified by the savings your solution provides or how it enhances your revenue stream. But it’s best to evaluate the expenses in the context of a long-term budget to make sure your solution will make both dollars and sense.

TPx’s team of SD-WAN experts understands how to decide the best solution for your industry. We also understand how to adjust your SD-WAN system to ensure it meets your company’s short- and long-term goals. To experience the potential of SD-WAN for your company, connect with one of TPx’s experts for a consultation.

The post 2024 Guide to SD-WAN appeared first on TPx Communications.

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.

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.

While uptime is essential to businesses, investing in the right network provider can be costly and subject to inflexible pricing. Opting to outsource your internet delivery and management via a managed service provider (MSP) alleviates the burden of dealing with carriers. An MSP will also act as a trusted advisor and partner, ensuring reliability and advocating on your behalf. Read on for the top eight reasons to invest in managed connectivity instead of managing it yourself.

1. Better Value for Price

Most organizations are confronted to fixed pricing based on network coverage and bandwidth. If your business is not a large corporation, your power to negotiate with internet carriers is heavily limited. In contrast, managed connectivity providers have negotiating power thanks to their large circuit footprints. They can broker on behalf of their clients, going directly to the network carriers to get the best deals. TPx’s nationwide footprint, for example, gives our customers extra negotiating leverage when it comes to pricing because carriers are incentivized to compromise due to longstanding established partnerships and the scale of our coverage.

2. Faster Support and Resolution

No business can afford to be down for long. To maximize uptime, MSPs respond more rapidly to resolve issues that may arise and also provide proactive, preventive support where it’s needed. This means that even when things go wrong, companies don’t have to dedicate additional resources to restore the connection or endure frustrating back-and-forth with carriers; they can rely on their MSP to get the job done.

3. No More Vetting or Investigating

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to selecting your internet carrier. Many organizations pour precious time and resources into research and vetting out carriers for the right fit and best price. That time could probably be much better spent elsewhere. MSPs possess market knowledge that they can leverage to get the latest offerings from carriers thanks to their insights into numerous providers. They can also lend their expertise to assess a business’s needs and recommend which managed connectivity options best suit them.

4. Customized Network Solutions

The structure of each business varies, and no solution is truly one-size-fits-all. Instead of hoping one carrier will offer all the right options, an MSP’s relationships with numerous providers mean that services can be combined to create the ideal solution for evolving business needs. Downsizing, scaling up, or switching providers is much easier with an MSP managing your connectivity. Organizations can also leverage an MSP’s expertise and industry knowledge for speed, cost-saving, or other recommendations as their business grows.

5. Faster Time to Value

Managing connectivity on your behalf means MSPs can leverage existing partnerships and relationships with carriers to deliver much faster implementation than individual companies can obtain. The right MSP will take over the entire process of finding a carrier, negotiating terms, and contracting the carrier for the network — all on behalf of their clients — and in a much quicker timeframe.

6. Trusted Advocacy

The best part of managed connectivity? The obvious. It’s “managed” by your MSP. MSPs act as intermediaries with carriers, meaning companies don’t have to communicate directly with their providers to get reliable connectivity, troubleshoot issues, lower fees, or negotiate the best price. Opening a new location? Your MSP can help determine your connectivity needs without you having to speak to a carrier even once.

7. Streamlined Billing

Gone are the days of keeping track of many invoices and bills from different providers and carriers. With an MSP, organizations only have to pay one invoice instead of numerous separate fees. TPx, for example, acts as a partner for its clients and consolidates all circuits into one bill, handling relationships with providers directly.

MSPs Manage Connectivity

You have better things to do than research connectivity and deal with carriers. Trust TPx for managed connectivity so you can focus on running and growing your business. Get in touch today to get started.

The post 7 Reasons Managed Connectivity Beats DIY appeared first on TPx Communications.

5G has been available since 2019, and it’s estimated the number of 5G smartphone subscriptions worldwide will hit over $2 billion by the end of 2024. Even with these staggering adoption statistics, not all businesses understand the advantages and disadvantages of 5G. In this article, we’ll break down everything businesses need to know about 5G.

What Is 5G?

5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks, continuing a new wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. Companies began deploying it in 2019 thanks to improved performance capacity, faster upload and download speeds, lower latency, and a unified platform. 5G promises significant benefits for businesses and consumers alike, and between 93% and 98% of consumers are even intrigued enough to believe it’s “highly appealing.” For industries like manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare, finance, and energy utilities, 5G connectivity brings the promise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) – emerging technologies that can be optimized with the performance capability and computing power of 5G.

The Benefits of 5G vs. 4G

The new generation of 5G wireless is replacing its predecessor, 4G, which made initial smartphones, wearable devices, smart home technology, and other gadgets accessible and user-friendly for the average individual. Compared to 4G, 5G offers some significant benefits, including:

Increased Speed

5G offers a significant speed increase over 4G connectivity, as it can reach data transfer speeds of 20 gigabits per second (Gbps). Compared to the maximum speed of 4G, which is 150 megabits per second (Mbps), 5G feels lightning fast. For businesses, this significant increase in speed is critical for real-time connectivity in technology like autonomous vehicles or logistics platforms. 5G uses edge computing to break out the workload of large data sets, and it leverages localized connections to endpoint devices.

Performance Capacity

5G brings a significant improvement to performance capacity, allowing for a 100x increase in traffic capacity. Again, this becomes critically important when IoT and AI-powered technologies come into play, requiring a high level of computational power and real-time connectivity. Not only does performance capacity improve, but network connections also become more stable and reliable.

Lower Latency

5G can decrease latency – also known as lag time or network delays – by 10x, bringing it down to just one millisecond. High latency causes slowdowns and lag, making lower latency core to a better user experience. In comparison, 4G lag can be over 60 milliseconds.

Improved Spectrum Usage

The spectrum for 5G services is divided into three separate bands (low, mid, and high), each with its own unique functions and abilities. By making use of the entire spectrum, businesses can optimize their traffic according to the transmission range and surrounding conditions. Even from the lowest levels of below 1 GHz to large millimeter waves, improved spectrum usage helps with resource allocation and potential traffic and network congestion.

Improved Network Slicing

For businesses deploying sophisticated network architecture, network “slicing” creates multiple virtual networks that are operated separately but with the same underlying physical network infrastructure. This provides greater flexibility in usage and creates a honeycomb of isolated end-to-end networks for increased cybersecurity. With 5G powering network slicing, it generates bandwidth and makes the complexity of multiple virtual and independent networks possible.

What Are the Disadvantages of Investing in 5G?

While 5G offers exciting benefits and promises for the future, businesses should be aware of its potential challenges and disadvantages, too. Potential obstacles to 5G implementation include increased costs, potential cybersecurity risks, and challenges around network splicing.

Cost

5G is both expensive and time-consuming to implement. Businesses must be prepared to upgrade all their equipment, services, and functionality to a 5G-capable network. For businesses that have heavily invested in 4G, replacing hardware and equipment and upskilling employees makes it more challenging to argue for a move to 5G.

Potential Cybersecurity Risks

Although 5G’s algorithms offer greater coverage compared to previous technologies, the risk of cyberattacks remains. While applications on 5G networks are encrypted, the 5G NR standard lacks end-to-end encryption, making it susceptible to specific types of attacks.

Network Slicing

While network splicing is an advantage, it’s also a potential disadvantage. Cybercriminals and hackers could break into specific segmented networks and send malware or spyware to the rest of the infrastructure.

Coverage Gaps

While 5G is becoming widespread in metropolitan and urban areas, 5G connectivity hasn’t reached every corner of the globe. Many rural areas lack 5G coverage, meaning it may not be an option for some organizations.

Is 5G Worth the Investment?

For businesses considering investing in 5G, consider your budget, needs, and long-term goals. 5G is a hefty and time-consuming implementation commitment and most likely requires an infrastructure overhaul. Plus, there are potential cybersecurity risks and coverage gaps. If you are a local business that operates in a rural area, you might not have access to 5G coverage. Each business should weigh the pros and cons and the potential cost of investment before deciding to jump headfirst. 4G is still an incredibly reliable option, but a future dominated by 5G is also inevitable.

Use TPx’s 5G Connectivity Through SD-WAN

For businesses ready to implement and deploy 5G, TPx’s SD-WAN services provide an optimal delivery path for all traffic within your network. 5G connectivity is included, and talking with our experts can help you get on the path to the right strategy. Ready to get started? Get in touch with our experts.

The post Everything Businesses Need to Know About 5G appeared first on TPx Communications.

School network administrators must protect student data in public-facing networks with many potential access points. They must also keep the information safe without disrupting student and teacher access to educational resources – and on very limited budgets. Here’s what school network administrators are up against this year.

Limited Resources in the Face of Expanding Demand

School budgets are already tight, competing with other public organizations and services for funds. But in recent years, technology budgets have been stretched more and more thin as cybersecurity risks rise and more technology devices are implemented into regular classroom and student use. Providing these resources and protecting the networks they use can be a daunting challenge.

To maximize your resources as effectively as possible, network administrators can:

1. Perform a network assessment to better understand security vulnerabilities.
2. Maintain documentation of their network infrastructure to maintain awareness of device lifecycles
3. Consider simplifying the network using cloud resources
4. Review WLAN infrastructure for ways to improve its service delivery
5. Get rid of outdated hardware and standardize introduce standardizing of routers and switches over time as budget allows — not everything has to happen all at once.
6. Prioritize security when making your budget case, not just on the network but at every level. Make the case for items that maximize security and student impact.

A Rise in Cyberattacks

Cyberattacks have been worsening in the education sector, with schools being one of the primary targets for ransomware attacks. According to Malwarebytes, there was an alarming 92% surge in K-12 attacks between 2022-2023.

As technology takes a more prominent role in education, the attack surface for hackers increases – from your network and endpoints to students’ own iPads or smartphones.

Ransomware attacks are not just disruptive and costly to school districts (causing school shutdowns and disruption of student learning and routine), they also carry much higher risk. Hackers may even threaten to publish sensitive data — like student medical histories, academic performance and disciplinary records — if a payment is not made.

To combat this threat, school network administrators must prioritize safeguarding student data and access to school systems to prevent costly and dangerous disruptions.

Vendor Risk Management

Security measures can only do so much if a school’s many vendors leave it vulnerable to supply chain attacks.

For instance, a high school may have a vendor it uses for its student information system (SIS). An attacker could target the vendor via a phishing assault, stealing access credentials from an internal user. The attacker could then use this access to infect the system with malware that scrapes student data from its server.

Then, as teachers and other school personnel enter student data, the attacker steals this information and uses it to extort money from the school district. Of course, the threat extends to other kinds of vendors as well. Anyone who gets access to your network could try to exploit a vulnerability.

To combat this threat, school network administrators can implement specific security practices, including:

• Carefully vetting out vendor security practices
• Formalizing evaluation criteria and cybersecurity standards for all vendors who will have access to your network
• Perform ongoing auditing to ensure continuous compliance with the standards established
• Investing in ongoing security monitoring to detect data exfiltration, malware, and other threats
• Auditing the network to identify potential weaknesses before attackers try to exploit them
• Leveraging a managed security provider to help develop the framework and documentation you need for a more robust security system

School network administrators face challenging demands. TPx specializes in managed IT services for school systems to lighten the load. Get in touch with our experts to learn more about how we can support your cybersecurity, network, and more.

The post Top Challenges School Network Administrators Need to Address appeared first on TPx Communications.

Managing IT for businesses with multiple locations is a balancing act. Each location has unique personnel and needs, and miscommunications, network differences, and disparate technologies can make it hard to run an efficient system. Follow these steps to overcome challenges and run a consistently reliable IT operation for your multi-location business.

Plan, Plan—Then Plan Some More

If you’re in the process of expanding, the more planning you do, the better. Your plan serves as your digital infrastructure roadmap. For this reason, your plan should be more than an “in-house” document. It’s a good idea to disseminate it to all stakeholders it may impact. They can use it to guide decisions that may depend on or impact your IT environment.

Your plan should include:

• Unique networking requirements.
• The IT goals of your new location, including benchmarks regarding issue resolution, bandwidth management, and other daily tasks.
• The budgetary restrictions that impact the additional location.
• Systems and practices that work well and are worth duplicating at your next location.

Use Consistent Policies Across Your Locations

Your overall policies and procedures should be the same across all locations. This is true even if the business objectives of each location are different. For instance, a fulfillment center would have the same general IT policies as a retail outlet. Some policies that should align include:

• Data management and privacy standards.
• Identity and access management procedures.
• Password management and other cyber hygiene requirements.
• IT culture considerations, such as providing excellent service, supporting new users with training, and rewarding innovative thinking on the IT team.

Optimize Your Network Performance With SD-WAN

Using SD-WAN, you can manage network traffic across your entire IT ecosystem. Unlike traditional networks, an SD-WAN is smart in that it can adapt to the changing traffic requirements or conditions of a multi-site business. You can also adjust how your network functions to meet short-term needs, such as optimizing the bandwidth of a videoconferencing session for a company-wide meeting. An SD-WAN solution gives you the ability to:

• Automate how certain types of network traffic are handled, such as videoconferencing, financial transactions, or other latency-sensitive operations.
• Establish and enforce company-wide security protocols regarding potentially malicious traffic.
• Monitor and control your entire network, making improvements when you notice performance issues.

Leverage Cloud Communications

When you have a multi-location business, using a traditional landline or PBX solution can be inefficient and inconvenient. It can also be costly—both to establish and maintain. With a cloud communications system, you get a flexible, scalable system that can incorporate:

• Calling
• Messaging
• Video conferencing
• Voice conferencing
• SIP trunking
• Call center solutions
• Virtual fax services

In other words, you have a centralized communication system that supports your growth.

Invest in RMM

Remote monitoring and management (RMM) makes it easier to manage and secure endpoint devices in any location in your digital environment. An RMM solution can facilitate locating, updating, and monitoring devices remotely, saving your onsite teams valuable time. With an RMM system, you also have access to experts who understand what to look for to identify potential cyber threats and let you know when there’s cause for concern.

Prioritize Cybersecurity

A complex, expansive IT infrastructure can introduce vulnerabilities hackers could target. By making cybersecurity a priority, you can build stronger networks that support both data security and productivity.

For many busy IT leaders, prioritizing cybersecurity is easier with a managed security services provider. By relying on experienced cybersecurity pros, you can benefit from both their expertise and the latest technologies they use to keep your devices and data safe. A managed security provider can offer a wide range of solutions, often including:

• Endpoint security
• Threat detection and response
• Firewalls
• Security awareness training
• Security advisory services
• Disaster recovery and backup

Enable an Effective Multi-location IT Solution With TPx

TPx can provide expert managed IT across your multi-location business. With TPx, get access to the services and solutions your business needs to thrive and scale, as well as teams of professionals who truly understand your business needs. Schedule a free consultation today.

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With continuous advancements in technology, more businesses and corporations are opting for cloud-based technology and services to tap into a continually updated system infrastructure. While cloud-based technology has clear advantages, it is only as strong as the underlying network infrastructure. If a businesses’ network isn’t optimized to support cloud technology, network performance can take a hit and be a drain on employee productivity.  Businesses need to understand the health and performance of their network to ensure operations are not negatively impacted.

How Network Performance Impacts Business Performance

The performance of your network is crucial to maintaining service levels for your customers and clients, sustaining productivity levels for employees, and managing your bottom line. Network performance issues can quickly prevent workers from communicating with each other and performing crucial tasks, critically hampering your organization. With poor network performance, businesses could experience latency, loss in productivity, network congestion, and configuration issues.

Understanding the Difference Between WAN vs. SD-WAN

In traditional networks, the WAN or wide-area network has been responsible for connecting computers and devices and delivering data over large distances. However, the traditional WAN was not built for applications, data traffic, and security measures caused by increasing cloud adoption. With this shift, organizations are struggling to balance user experience, application performance, and security.

To address these challenges, software-defined wide-area networks or SD-WAN leverages software-defined principles to manage and optimize the reliability and performance of the wide-area network.

Optimize Your Network Performance with SD-WAN

As a virtualized service, SD-WAN can manage the performance of existing WAN connections, extending management to wireless, 5G, VPNs, and SaaS applications. With SD-WAN, Network Administrators can prioritize data traffic, optimize application performance, automate business policies, and provide enhanced security seamlessly across the enterprise.

The following are several ways SD-WAN can improve network performance to deliver business benefits:

Improved Productivity

With the SD-WAN architecture, organizations can modify network connectivity more easily and quickly. With zero-touch deployment and provisioning, on-boarding new devices and software will mean fewer configuration changes. Providing users with new software or deploying new revenue-generating services will now take hours or days vs. weeks or months.

Improved Security and Adherence to Important Policies

Given the continuous increase and sophistication of cyber-attacks, SD-WAN provides multiple levels of security, such as dynamic segmentation and the ability to encrypt, authenticate, and control network traffic.

Additionally, with the SD-WAN monitoring the enterprise beyond the traditional WAN, network policies can now be enforced across all locations and devices, improving performance, monitoring, and reporting.

Enhanced User/Employee Experience

Waiting for websites to load, files to open, and applications to respond can be frustrating for employees. Maintaining high availability with predictable service is a must, especially for critical enterprise applications. SD-WAN can dynamically route traffic based on application needs and employee use, creating an improved user experience.

Learn More About Your Network

Do you know the current state of your network? Your network performance and security are critical components of your overall IT and business health. With TPx’s free Network Security Evaluation, you will gain insights into your network security, productivity, and utilization.

Not only will you gain information into your network usage, but you may even find network vulnerabilities and security risks that could be a threat to your business. Take control of your network and get the insights you need to make good business decisions. Contact TPx to get started with your free evaluation today.

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The business landscape is constantly evolving thanks to advancements in technology and new demands and expectations from consumers. Business leaders and IT professionals alike face increasing pressure to adopt technologies that will help drive business growth. While evolving technology has improved operations, collaboration, and efficiency in the workplace, it has made it more complex for IT professionals to manage and keep their infrastructure secure. In this blog, we’ll discuss the top six IT challenges businesses need to be aware of in 2024 and what they mean for your IT teams.

1. Cyber Threats

Cybersecurity attacks dominated the headlines last year. According to Apple’s 2023 study “The Continued Threat to Personal Data: Key Factors Behind the 2023 Increase,” data breaches were at an all-time high in 2023. As businesses adopt more and more technology, it can create the potential for increased vulnerabilities if the right cybersecurity measures, policies, and processes are not in place.

To address these vulnerabilities and mitigate risk, businesses are investing in cybersecurity and making it a priority. According to business consulting firm Gartner, global spending on security risk and management will grow 14% in 2024 — a total of more than $214 billion. However, simply increasing spending is not an effective plan. Cybersecurity efforts require dedicated teams with the right skills to understand and prevent attacks. Businesses also need the right cybersecurity technology and continuous monitoring to identify threats and mitigate them quick before they become an issue.

2. Legacy Infrastructure

All businesses use some form of software, but too often, businesses fall susceptible to the adage, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Outdated legacy technology poses significant IT challenges that businesses may be unaware of until issues arise. Not only is legacy infrastructure costly to maintain, but it also often requires significant manpower to support with unique skills set that many employees may not possess. As employees leave the company or retire, they could be leaving your organization without the right skillset to keep legacy technology operating.

Many companies transition to modern tools like cloud-based applications, which is often easier to maintain and requires less manpower to operate. There is also the added benefit of being more secure. Legacy technology often has greater vulnerabilities as patches become less frequent or software becomes unsupported. Cloud-based solutions are continuously updated with proactive cybersecurity measures.

3. Data-Driven Decision-Making

IT professionals have hundreds of decisions they need to make regarding their operations, infrastructure, policies, and processes. Often, businesses don’t have enough data to make educated decisions. Sometimes it’s due to lack of available data in systems, especially if the technology is not cloud-based. Getting access to data becomes much more complicated.

Modern technology offers a plethora of data to help with decision-making, but not all data is created equal. To ensure that the best information is given for critical decisions, IT systems need robust reporting and analytics to ensure that every piece of data is meaningful, particularly regarding potential vulnerabilities.

4. Evolving Regulatory Requirements

Technology regulatory requirements are constantly evolving to keep up with the light-speed pace of innovation. Over the last few years, several different regulatory requirements across industries have adjusted their requirements to address changes in technology and the threat landscape. The recent changes to the FTC’s Safeguards Rule and PCI-DSS 4.0 are just two examples.

There are many different rules across industries and at the state and federal level. IT professionals must now keep a pulse on the regulatory requirements to ensure their business is in compliance. This can be a burdensome task without the right tools and resources at their disposal. Working with a provider that offers security advisory services can help businesses keep better track of compliance requirements.

5. IT Skills Shortage

As if organizational issues and external threats weren’t enough, IT teams face internal challenges as well like an IT skills shortage. Many organizations struggle to attract and retain IT talent with the skills set that’s needed to keep their organization operating smoothly.

Beyond the certifications employees need to stay current on the technology they work with every day, they also need to have the knowledge to address evolving cyber threats. Too often, IT teams have a difficult time addressing their cybersecurity fully in-house without assistance from a vendor or managed services provider. In fact, according to ISC2’s latest Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the cybersecurity workforce skills gap has reached an all-time high. ICS2 reports that while the overall IT workforce has increased by 10%, 4 million jobs sit unfilled as companies struggle to hire enough skilled workers to meet their needs.

6. Supporting Hybrid Work

Many organizations offer a hybrid work or remote work environment for their employees. While these work environments offer greater flexibility for employees, they require significant IT manpower and infrastructure to support it.

Prior to the days of remote and hybrid work, IT professionals had the luxury of managing their network and security in the confines of a secured office environment. Now, IT teams need to keep employees connected and secure from multiple locations.

Address IT Challenges and Optimize Your IT

While IT teams face several challenges in today’s complex business landscape, you don’t have to do it alone. By working with a managed services provider like TPx, we can help address your IT challenges and keep your operations running smoothly and securely. With a full suite of networking, internet, cloud communications, and cybersecurity services, we provide the peace of mind you need ensuring your business remains secure and competitive in the digital age. Interested in learning more about how we can help? Reach out for a free consultation today.

The post The Top Six IT Challenges Businesses Face in 2024 appeared first on TPx Communications.

Legacy networks do not support today’s modern workplace with a distributed workforce across multiple locations including employees working remotely. Organizations need a modern approach to their network that gives them the flexibility to support hybrid work and improve performance across its locations. Many organizations are enabling SD-WAN solutions to gain greater flexibility and performance.

According to one report, 77 percent of organizations are using SD-WAN solutions, with 92 percent of all organizations expected to be users by 2026. Its architecture, which is built on software instead of routers and switches, adeptly handles the services, connectivity, and management between cloud assets, data centers, and satellite, branch, or remote sites. With this virtualization of WAN, network administrators can now leverage capabilities that allow them to improve their network infrastructure and make it more flexible.

Simplified Network Management and Centralized Control

SD-WAN has a centralized control plane that also includes automation and intelligence processes. This helps simplify network management and does so without sacrificing performance. Network administrators have a comprehensive view of how their network is functioning. From the centralized location, they can configure and manage network policies and create reliable WAN capable of supporting remote sites and other endpoints, such as IoT devices at the network edge. They can also automate tasks and apply them across an entire network. Using an SD-WAN solution means you can have connectivity and quickly deploy new applications where needed, with fewer manual operations and human errors, allowing more time for other critical network-related tasks.

Optimized Performance and Enhanced User Experience

SD-WAN solutions optimize network performance using intelligent routing and traffic prioritization, automating the routing of different types of traffic and selecting the best pathway for each application’s traffic. Low latency and reduced packet loss ensure consistent application performance, better WAN efficiency, and better user experience. Organizations with remote sites can especially benefit from SD-WAN’s seamless connectivity capability — efficient even in bandwidth-constrained environments — that helps ensure an optimal network environment at any site.

Increased Bandwidth Efficiency and Cost Savings

You can meet the growing demands on your organization’s networks with SD-WAN’s near real-time bandwidth allocation. This optimization of bandwidth utilization — made possible by traffic optimization, data compression, and Quality of Service (QoS) policies — eliminates the need for costly dedicated WAN links and enables organizations to maximize existing network resources, such as leveraging unused and underused circuits. SD-WAN saves money without sacrificing performance by using more cost-effective options like broadband or cellular connections.

Robust Security and Data Protection

SD-WAN has built-in security features that address the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. These features, including integrated firewall capabilities, encrypted tunnels, and threat intelligence, protect networks from cyber threats while enabling secure and reliable network access from anywhere. An SD-WAN solution’s centralized control and visibility enhances security, enabling network administrators to respond quickly to detected threats.

Seamless Integration With Cloud Services

As the adoption of cloud-based applications and services continues to rise — 85 percent of organizations will embrace a cloud-first principle by 2025 — an SD-WAN solution has become a must-have for integrating seamlessly with leading cloud providers and leveraging the benefits of cloud computing. Instead of having to connect back to a corporate data center and then to the internet using traditional WAN while causing performance issues and delays, users can use SD-WAN to access applications in cloud platforms directly. It provides this seamless connection without sacrificing security or data performance.

How TPx Can Help

SD-WAN can help you create the flexible network infrastructure needed in a cloud-centric business world. At TPx, our Managed SD-WAN solution has the features that can get you there. Our solution uses a state-of-the-art managed platform to deliver assured application performance, business policy automation, and end-to-end management to make your life less stressful.  Contact our sales team to see how we can improve your network performance and operations.

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Internet is an integral part of everyday personal and business life. According to Statista, there are 4.66 billion active users on the internet worldwide. Further internet stats reveal 65.6 of the global population have internet access, and users spend an average of six hours and 56 minutes online each day.

Slow internet connections make it difficult to perform various tasks and are especially problematic for businesses, as they can result in significant challenges to overcome. Here are some ways that slow internet connections can affect your business and what you can do to prevent them.

Poor Productivity

Weak internet hurts business. While it is possible to perform some tasks without it, you still need to store files in the cloud, add information to databases, and send emails regularly. One study reported 83% of employees said they could only be productive without the internet for less than half the day. It also found that 65% of employees reported their video calls interrupted or disconnected altogether.

Slow internet connections can result in a loss of revenue. For example, slow page loads lead to customer dissatisfaction as 47% of consumers report they will only wait two seconds for a page to load before leaving. Unresponsive and slow sites are also ranked lower by Google, which means a decrease in web traffic.

Operational Failure

Today’s applications rely on the internet. Without it, users often can’t perform tasks or retrieve data. A slow connection can disrupt daily work. When you consider 29% of business is conducted online, slow internet can have a damaging effect.

Today’s users access websites using multiple devices, including tablets and smartphones. The last thing you want is for them to experience crashes or page load errors when accessing your website, as this affects your bottom line. Research reveals 38% of mobile users report encountering unavailable sites while 51% experience crashes or freezing.

Morale

Slow internet also affects the morale of your employees. One study found slow connections cost employees approximately one week of productivity, resulting in frustration. This is a top IT issue for companies that can make a significant impact on the bottom line and the effectiveness of their employees. More than anything, these factors affect how well people work and how they feel about their jobs. If dealing with slow internet on a daily basis, morale will likely take a turn for the worse.

Lost Revenue

A slow internet connection can have a direct impact to your bottom line. Customers who find your site unreliable and unresponsive will go somewhere else to purchase the same products and services, resulting in lost revenue. New Google research found 53% of mobile visitors will leave if a page fails to load in three seconds or less. This can result in a significant loss in sales. According to another report, 70% of consumers said page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.

How to Improve

You can improve your company’s internet speed by ensuring you have the right amount of bandwidth. You may also consider using wired connections and upgrading your current network infrastructure if it is outdated.

A managed services provider can help you determine your exact internet needs and help increase your bottom line. Connect with a TPx representative to learn how to select the best business internet plan for your business.

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Having more than one retail location doesn’t mean you have to manage multiple IT systems for each storefront. Disparate IT solutions can leave you open to operational inefficiencies and considerable cybersecurity risks not to mention they are costly to manage and maintain. But with the following tips, you can centralize your tech and provide a better IT experience of each store, giving your business the best of both worlds. In this blog, we outline four retail IT solutions that make it easier to do business when you’re managing multiple locations.

Use SD-WAN for an Enhanced Network

SD-WAN allows you to manage and monitor network activity from a centralized location remotely, saving both time and money. More importantly, you can use SD-WAN to optimize your network’s performance across retail locations, deciding which applications and workflows need the most bandwidth and setting up your system accordingly. With SD-WAN, you can benefit from guaranteed performance delivered over the cloud to create seamless enterprise connectedness.

Invest in Unified Communications

Retail IT solutions like unified communications gives you the power to manage multiple phone lines across distributed retail locations—all while using a single backend management system. Not only does this simplify your management, but it also paves the way for better communications between employees and customers at difference retail locations. Since unified communications are cloud-based, you get greater reliability and uptime when paired with SD-WAN to improve customer interactions.

Enable a Network Firewall

Keeping your retail business safe from cyberattacks can be difficult without the proper retail IT solutions in place. A managed firewall can help by being a first line of defense against internet-based attacks.  Not only can it help keep your network and customer information secure, you can also benefit from greater visibility and control of your network.

Incorporate a Centralized Inventory System

By creating a single, centralized inventory solution, you can streamline your purchasing and order fulfillment processes. In this way, you always know what you need to buy to support the inventory of each location—all on one screen. In addition, you pave the way for seamless sharing of inventory between your different locations. Instead of over-investing in buying and shipping inventory to individual stores, you can transport excess stock from one location to another, saving both time and money.

Use Virtual Meetings to Consistently Connect With Employees

It can be very complex to touch base with employees as frequently as you need to when you have multiple locations. But if you use a virtual meeting system as one of your retail IT solutions, you can enjoy meaningful interactions without having to invest time and energy into traveling to your different locations. In this way, employees can be made to feel like an integral part of the company’s culture. When everyone gets the chance to provide and receive feedback, you can create a culture that values everyone on the team. You also get the chance to address employee issues as soon as they arise instead of waiting weeks or longer for an opportunity to visit their site.

These retail IT solutions can make it easier to manage and scale your business to even more new locations. By using cloud-based solutions with centralized management, you save time and money while taking advantage of rich feature functionality that helps improve operations. To learn how managed retail IT solutions can make using these and other technologies easy, connect with TPx today!

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