When it comes to business technology, there's always something new and shiny on the market. But is it really necessary to upgrade your business IT every time an innovation comes along?

The short answer is no. While it's a good idea for businesses to have the latest hardware and software, upgrading might not always be the best thing to do.

Many small- and medium-sized business (SMB) owners think that managed IT services are expensive — a misconception that’s keeping them from outsourcing their IT needs. But the truth is that partnering with a managed IT services provider (MSP) can save you a lot of money in more ways than one.

Recently, the number of ransomware attacks has skyrocketed, putting organizations across Florida and beyond at great risk of incurring huge losses in productivity, profitability, and reputation. In the first half of 2021, 1,097 organizations were hit by ransomware attacks — only 15 attacks fewer than the 1,112 reported throughout the previous year.

Many organizations don’t realize they have fallen victim to a data breach until weeks or months after the fact. According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute, businesses take around 287 days to detect and contain a breach. Within that period, they lose an average of $4.24 million in revenue due to customer turnover and system downtime as well as other related costs.

Network security has always been a top priority for organizations of all sizes and across industries. It is a business’s network, after all, that enables the flow of mission-critical data. Protecting corporate networks has become even more important today due to the increasing number and sophistication of cyberattacks that pose a threat to these systems.

Remote work is a dream come true for many employees and employers alike. Working from home gives employees the freedom to create schedules that allow them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Employers also benefit by saving on utilities and rent as well as having a more productive workforce.

It’s been said that data is the lifeblood of any business — and the network through which it flows is akin to the circulatory system. A properly functioning network is vital to delivering the information that supports and drives every aspect of an organization’s operations.

The great work from home experiment of 2020 has proved that work can be done — and done well — even outside the confines of a physical office. As such, many companies are now planning to adopt a hybrid work model post-pandemic to accommodate the expectations of employees and to continue reaping the benefits of remote work.

The benefits of remote work have been widely discussed, but if the events of the past year have taught us anything, it’s that working from home isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

In some ways, working in a traditional office environment is easier.

Recent years have seen soaring demand for cloud computing solutions across every industry, and finance and banking are no exception. The cloud is vital for achieving greater resilience and flexibility at a time when remote work is the new normal and customer demands are rising constantly.