Benefits of a Disaster Recovery Plan for Fort Lauderdale Businesses

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Every business that operates in Fort Lauderdale has become all too familiar with the various disasters that befall the region. For example, hurricanes are a very common and potent problem in this area. The loss of valuable information compounded with physical destruction results in between 40 and 60% of small businesses never reopening after a hurricane. Hurricanes combined with hardware system failures, cyberattacks, and human error are all reasons to examine the benefits of a disaster recovery plan for Fort Lauderdale businesses.

What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

In terms of business, a disaster recovery plan is a documented, systematic means of restoring a company’s operating capabilities and/or data after a disaster has damaged the physical or digital aspects of the business.

Disaster Recovery Plans Instill Confidence in Customers

Any company will (rightfully) lose customers if they are unable to protect their data. When securing clients for your business in Fort Lauderdale, a disaster recovery plan can be framed as a measure to reduce their risk by choosing to work with you. The ability to securely back up and maintain customer data off-site or use secure Cloud systems will bolster a client’s confidence in your business. They’ll understand that storms, fires, or cyberattacks will not prevent you from keeping their information safe

Off-Site Backup Facilities Restore Processes Almost Immediately

Hardware losses are a gut punch for many businesses. Depending on a company’s needs, a disaster recovery plan could simply back up data from hard drives. This allows the business to get their data back as a minimum standard of safety. However, more critical, driven businesses can consider hot and cold sites for their needs. A hot site is a secure, off-site location that has all the hardware and software that a business needs to step into the area and get back to work immediately. Cold site facilities are secure and can be stocked with hardware. However, requires further setup before the business can resume.

These different levels of preparedness provide companies with several options for maintaining their business and getting started after a disaster. At a minimum, this protection will restore lost data. However, full coverage allows workers to get back to business as soon as possible.

Next-Generation Cyber Security Ends Threats Before They Start

Unless a business is specifically positioned to provide unique and valuable information, the chances are good that it won’t be directly targeted by cybercriminals. The best thing to do is make the company the least viable target for hackers and corporate espionage. Thus, it will be passed over to more opportune targets. Furthermore, implementing physical security measures and industry-specific cybersecurity suites can cut down on the potential for loss in your business. Additionally, maintain backups of valuable data in storage not connected to the original source.

Preparing your business for a loss requires thinking about the unthinkable. Unfortunately, Fort Lauderdale has a seemingly omnipresent threat of damaging hurricanes along with the typical threats to business. Fortunately, working with local businesses like Bluwater Technologies, a Wheelhouse IT company, to put a disaster recovery plan in place can prevent the worst from happening after a catastrophe. Using this local company that understands the difficulties of operating in this market, any small or medium-sized business can prepare for the worst. Then, customize their plan to suit their specific needs.

Call us at (954) 474-2204 or click here to request a quote.

5 Ways to Reduce IT Costs That You Can Act On Now

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If information technology costs are eating up a large portion of your company’s budget, then you are not alone. In fact, it is estimated that small businesses spend upwards of 7% of their revenue on IT costs. Yet, with IT playing such a critical role in ensuring a business’s productivity and security, it can be extremely difficult to find ways to control, or even lower, IT costs. However, you may be surprised to learn that there are simple, actionable steps that you can take to lower your company’s mounting IT costs.

Here is a look at 5 things that you can do now to reduce your business’s IT costs:

Virtualization

One method that can help you to see considerable IT cost savings is virtualization. Essentially, virtualization means replacing physical hardware with virtual alternatives. With virtualization, companies no longer need to depend entirely on physical servers, as they can combine many functions into a single server by switching functions to virtual environments. This can save money by reducing energy and hardware expenses.  

Optimize Infrastructure for IT Costs

It may surprise you to learn that structured cabling, wireless network layouts, and other infrastructure can cost you money if they are not configured properly. However, when infrastructure is improperly configured, this can result in decreased productivity and increased electrical costs, which can add up greatly over time. Making sure that these systems are configured with efficiency in mind is critical in order to keep costs down.  

Backup Data Regularly

Backing up data may not be something that would save you money in the short term. However, it can mean exponential savings in the long run. Proper data backup is a critical IT cost reduction strategy. It can help to protect you from substantial losses in the event of a cyber attack or natural disaster. Without proper system backups, productivity would come to a grinding halt. Then, you would have to spend money trying to retrieve lost data. However, when you properly backup data regularly, both to physical and cloud-based backups, you can rest easy knowing that your business will be able to get back up on its feet quickly after a disaster.  

Vendor Management

Hardware and software purchases can quickly eat up a huge chunk of your company’s budget. Whether it’s buying brand new computers for your office, or a company license to upgrade your company’s computers to Windows 10, IT hardware and software often isn’t a cheap investment. This is why it is recommended that you work with a company that offers IT vendor management services. These companies can help you to find the hardware and software that you need. They also do so at exclusive prices that you would not be able to find on your own. Thus, helping to save you money. 

Streamline IT Costs with Managed IT Services

Of course, one of the best ways to reduce IT costs would be to outsource your IT needs to a Managed Service Provider (MSP). For small to medium-sized businesses, it often isn’t feasible to maintain an in-house IT staff. In these instances, companies often find it in their best interest to partner with an MSP. They can provide contracted IT services on an as-needed basis. This can drastically reduce IT costs as you will only be paying for the services that you need. Versus paying full-time staff. Not only can outsourcing save you money, but you will also gain access to superior IT services. This is because MSPs have greater resources to research and implement the latest IT technology.

While mounting IT costs can seem like an unfixable problem for many businesses, there are steps that you can take to greatly reduce IT expenses.

Contact us to learn more about the steps that you can take to save money on IT costs at your company.

Data Backup vs. Data Replication, Which Is Right for Businesses?

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Data replication and data backup may sound like ballpark terms to one another, but the difference is very distinct. Knowing the difference between replication and backup can help you make smarter choices when deciding the best choice of action for your data. 

Data backup can be seen as an old-school method of data and is not interchangeable with replication. Here are the main differences when it comes down to making sure that data is secure:

What is Data Backup, and Do People Still Use It?

If you’re wondering if businesses still use data backup, then yes! Though older hardware like floppy disks and USB sticks are being slowly replaced, they still exist to store data. Previously, this hardware would be used to hold copies of data backed up from an original source. Data backups typically occur once per night in most businesses. This is because backing up the data takes resources on the server, a big reason replication has seen such an increase in businesses today.

Backups use an “image” of the file it is copying, essentially a snapshot of the data at that exact moment.

Nowadays, server technology has largely helped to take over that role. Data can now be stored on servers, rather than relying on the use of single hardware for data storage and copying. 

What is Data Replication, and Is it Really Better?

Data replication is a way to immediately duplicate files onto the server and share them with others in the business. It does this by copying data from one server database to another. A more extreme version of data replication, in which the entire database is stored at every site, can also be achieved through full replication. As you may imagine, this is an impractical feat that data backup cannot achieve. 

Data replication helps businesses by improving file availability in large quantities. Thus, employees may all view the same file without the need for external things like USB sticks for data.

Professional Data Solutions for Businesses

Modern times have proven data replication to be an excellent way for businesses to communicate and save data. Without a third-party risk of losing hardware. Choosing a trusted IT team to organize, backup, and recover the data in your business is a critical area of every business’s anatomy.

If you have a business looking for tailor-made Managed IT Services to streamline productivity, trust Bluwater Technologies for the expert service you’re looking for.

Feel free to contact us or call us at (954) 713-2532.

NAS vs. Cloud Storage

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Odds are your business has LOTS of files and data that it shares with everyone in the company. Some firms use cloud storage products like Dropbox or Google Drive to store and share those files. Others have their own “in-house” storage option called a NAS or Network Attached Storage. A NAS is a dedicated space that receives, stores, and sends data over a network. Basically, it is a personal cloud for your business.

Please review the pros and cons of a NAS and cloud services so you can make the right choice for your business needs.

NAS

With a NAS you have complete control and ownership of your data. No corporate giant has anything to do with your data or risks your privacy. A NAS solution is infinitely scalable. This means you can add additional storage at your own terms. With a NAS you have complete control of your data and how it is stored, backed up, retrieved and deleted. This can be daunting as it does get technical and one wrong move can put your data at risk. So it may be best to hire an IT professional.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is hosted offsite. Your data remains untouched, regardless of what happens to your physical location. Cloud storage for businesses can get pricey. Subscription services are available, but increasing your storage capacity usually requires paying more. Cloud storage is easy. Nearly anyone can create an account and manage permissions and accounts for employees.

Your data is relatively safe in the cloud as hosting companies do a great job of backing up data and using redundant storage. Although this rarely happens, cloud storage services are a high-value target for hackers and your information could be at risk.

Ready to migrate your data to the cloud? Or just want to upgrade your existing solutions? Need a dedicated IT department to service all your tech needs?

Contact us to see how we can help.