Great Lakes Computer Corporation

Managed Service Provider

Archives for February 2013

By

Data Backup and Security is One Place NOT to Cut Costs

The importance of server backup – Plus a Free eBook

Data SecurityIt is exceptionally important to ensure that a business server is backed up on a regular basis.  It should be a task scheduled as regularly as brushing the teeth or any other essential ablutionary tasks.  There are two methods with which data can be backed up: automated or manually.  It is vital to the operation of a business that these backups happen successfully and regularly.

If a business server holds data belonging to clients, for example in the case of a hosting reseller, the data is vital to the business interests.  In effect, clients are paying to keep the data safe and secure, so regular backups are vital, just in case the worst should happen to the data.  Similarly, if the organization has a large social media website, containing the personal or sensitive information of users, these users are expecting their information to remain safe.

Although backups can be costly, data security should be seen as a vital business expense, much like heating or bandwidth.  Whether backups are taken care of in-house, or outsourced to offsite servers, paying for this is similar to paying for insurance, only this insurance should be able to return the original items if data is lost.  Using an offsite backup plan can, in fact, rescue a company from a permanent data loss, so long as the backups are set up to run regularly.

One can be forgiven for thinking that backing up data simply refers to copying the data from the entire system and holding it on a separate server.  Whilst this is true, incremental systems are a far more intelligent system for taking care of backups.  With incremental backups, only files that have been modified since the last backup are copied across, saving time, and server load.

Whether backing up information using manual or automated approaches, server backup is clearly a vital aspect of any businesses IT strategy.

Ten Backup Questions You should Be Asking

Get the Free eBook from Dell AppAssure “Ten Backup & Recovery Questions Every Admin Must Ask” to determine if your Backup Strategy is where it should be.

By

Remote Monitoring Will Save You Money

Understanding remote hardware monitoring

Remote Monitoring - Computer Repair clevelandGiven the ongoing global financial situation, and the fact that “cost saving” and “restructuring” have been phrases used around many boardroom tables, it should come as little surprise that remote hardware monitoring is on the increase.

Unlike traditional “in-house” IT management solutions, a remote system for monitoring the performance and maintenance carries out these tasks via the internet.  These remote hardware monitoring systems work in much the same way as a managed approach might work with software monitoring, but they actually look after the physical hardware.  This is perhaps most useful within small- and medium-sized organizations.

With these monitoring tasks completed remotely, there is an immediate cost saving in that the salary and other costs associated with that position are no longer present.  However, in the case of a small business that might not necessarily have a dedicated IT support worker, this job is invariably hoisted onto an existing member of staff, who probably had enough to do in the first place.  What inevitably happens in this situation is that the job is neglected, and equipment begins to suffer, ultimately breaking down way ahead of time.

To a business trying to save money on IT support, a system that results in hardware needing to be replaced more often does not make sense.  With managed hardware monitoring systems, all alerts are noted and responded to by trained and dedicated staff in a timely manner, giving the said hardware a fighting chance to last as long as would be expected.

These systems work by providing a constant data stream of system performance to the remote server.  Information such as system temperature, voltage, power level and even the performance of the cooling fans is monitored and dealt with remotely, giving piece of mind to the business that hardware is in the best possible hands.

Remote Monitoring for Legacy AS/400 iSeries Systems

Great Lakes Computer offers NEMS/400 monoitoring, which constantly monitors your hardware and reports any problems so we can be there before they happen. NEMS/400 was created to allow GLC to offer the same “comfort factor” that IBM is able to leverage as a major player in the AS/400-iSeries maintenance market place. This service provides complete system monitoring, automatic alerts and customer notification for all of your AS/400 and iSeries products.

Contact Us About Remote Monitoring

By

Hacking of Federal Reserve Heightens Emphasis on Data Protection

Attack by “Anonymous” of Federal Reserve provides key lesson in data protection

Data SecurityBusinesses, both large and small, need to sit up and take notice: none other than the Federal Reserve system of the United States has admitted that its networks have been breached.  The incident has led experts to emphasize the essential nature of best practices when it comes to computer safety.  Among the strongest recommendations to emerge from the breach has been the necessity of establishing strong encryption for passwords and other login information.

The breach itself occurred on February 3, 2013, when Anonymous, a “hacktivist” group, succeeded in entering computer systems in contact with those at the Federal Reserve.  The group managed to harvest more than 4,000 sets of credentials before the attack ended; these included user names and passwords as well as personally identifying information including cell phone numbers for some of the accounts.

According to hardware security expert Edy Almer, one of the lessons unveiled by the attack is that data including login credentials should simply not be stored in databases that are accessible via the World Wide Web.  A better procedure is to house user names and passwords on hardware that is not kept online.  Authentication at the machine level can then be used to access the information on an as-needed basis.  This protocol would make it much more difficult for cybercriminals, hackers, and “hactivists” alike to obtain sensitive information.

Experts in the cybersecurity field have already noted that the business environment in the United States is responsive to the need for better online security.  A challenge that has emerged, however, is the level of redundancy when it comes to storing authorizations and credentials.  Such information is typically scattered across several different systems, and the level and types of data protection in place on each system can differ markedly.  Even SMBs may face these kinds of challenges as they try to improve their computer and data security practices.

Encryption of sensitive data remains a pressing need for SMBs as well as their larger counterparts.

Take our Free 27 Point Network System Audit

Now is the time to take action and have a true data security expert anaylyze your network integrity and security.  Great Lakes Computer offers a free 27 point system audit so you can be prepared and know where your network security stands.

Contact Us