Tag Archive for: montreal IT

Network Assessments: the State of Your Computer Systems

“Technology, right?”

The go-to line when a piece of tech or software we need to use suddenly isn’t working for us. You’ve said it, your colleagues have said it, we’ve all said it. But what if you could prevent those slip-ups? What if there was a way to ensure that your computers and the programs you rely on to run your business just – worked? And even more importantly, that your data was always secure?

(you know what’s coming next)

There is a way, of course!

Let Us Figure Out Your Network Infrastructure

With our IT support at Info-Tech Montreal, we can give you detailed network assessments .Moreover, we can answer any questions you have about the state of your company’s computer operating systems, servers, security, and more. It’s a simple process that can give us valuable insights into your network and help you to improve your network performance!

We’ll be able to see, among other things, if there are any security risks to your business, like expired user accounts from former employees, weak passwords, or passwords without an expiry date. We can set-up deadlines and minimum requirements to ensure all of your employees are working with secure password protection on their devices and software programs.

It’s not just about finding holes in security, or identifying bad practices for online and e-mail usage, though. It’s also about getting away from myths about how some of the technology works, so you can feel confident in what’s happening in the backend of your business and boost your business processes.

After the initial technology assessment is performed, we will always deliver a detailed report and will go through it with you, step by step, so you have a better understanding of the state of your I.T. infrastructure.

Performing assessments like this allow you to work with experts proactively, to catch any potential flare-ups before they erupt and cause immense amounts of stress and productivity loss for you and your team.

In fact, we recommend having a network assessment completed at least once a quarter, to ensure everything is in top shape. We understand that may not be possible for all business owners; we have an entry-level option available too. In this case, instead of running a detailed assessment on all of your computers, we will examine a handful of your top and bottom machines and create a report based on an assumption of averages.

Save yourself the panic of a reactive strategy, and schedule an assessment today using our IT services! For the month of February, these assessments are FREE for new clients! $499 value.

If you’re working on getting your business set-up for success in 2022, be sure to check out last month’s blog and review our I.T. checklist for success!

The Five I.T. Things You need when starting a business

by Alessandro D'Ambra-Violi

You’ve done the research; you have come up with the Next Big Thing and you are ready to launch – but what do you really need for your business when it comes to information technology? There are so many conflicting opinions on this, but we have narrowed down the 5 most important things you will need for your business, whether it is online or in person.

Today we rely more on I.T. services than many other things and starting with these five items will ensure you are well on your way.

Domain Name

Your business name is a huge part of its identity, and often when starting out people realize that what they thought was entirely unique may be one of many identically named enterprises. It is important to note that the name you choose may not be linked to the purpose of the business, and therefore there is so much crossover with domain names.
Having your own domain name sets your business apart from those who provide a similar service or product, but do not have their online presence set up properly or completely.
A domain name is the identification string, or address, of your website – not to be confused with the website itself. You can purchase a domain name through numerous different online companies, and all it takes is the click of a button and ‘swipe’ of a bank card.
It is wise to research how to make your domain name easy to access, as well as to avoid choosing a bulky, clunky name that is difficult to remember.
Beware of ‘add-on’ sales from domain name websites – you only need the name, unless you are planning to also host your website with the domain provider. Look out for hidden fees, increased rates after time, additional costs for future changes, and potential transfer fees which may be incurred should you sell your business in the future.
Be careful which suffix or TLD (top-level domain) you choose for the end of your website URL – the most common are .com, .org, or .net – along with country-specific TLDs. While some may argue that there is no difference, a .com may really come across as more credible than a. site or a. shop. In addition, a .org is often associated with a non-profit, a charity, or a similar organization.

Web Hosting Service

A web hosting service is a company that provides the technology required for you (the business owner) to publish your website on the Internet.
Your hosting service typically requires you to purchase your domain prior to hosting the website, but in some cases, they will assist you with this as well.
In addition, the Web Host will also cover the following aspects:
1. Email Accounts – this way your business email account will be personalized to the domain name. i.e., If you have purchased ‘www.mybusinessname.com’ then your email will be ‘username@mybusinessname.com’ as set up by the Web Host.
2. FTP Access – File Transfer Protocol allows you to upload files from your computer to the webserver.
3. Website support – your Web Host will also provide you with back-end access to your unpublished website, so you can make minor changes should you need to. If you are happy with the host making all changes this may not be required but may also carry an additional cost per change made.
Another benefit of using a Web Host is that they have technicians who will make sure that your site is up and always running – you do not need to worry if the server crashes at 3:00 am and your online shop cannot be seen by potential clients.
When you are ready to engage a web host you will need to make sure that the service also includes antivirus support and that the monthly maintenance fee is manageable and within your budget.
1. Antivirus may not be automatically included, and all it takes is for one person to log in to your website, release a ‘Trojan’ and your beautiful page is gone!
2. The monthly maintenance fee should cover all the above services with no hidden extras – this needs to be made transparent in the initial service level agreement.

Build the Site

Once you have chosen your domain, and you have secured the services of a web host, what is left for the website is to create the content and build the site. This is something that you may want to do yourself, or alternately sub-contract out to a professional web designer, content creator, and/or copywriter.
Content is key – if your content is not eye-catching, appealing, or relevant to the business you are setting up, then your website is far less likely to ever be seen. This is where we start to talk about SEO – Search Engine Optimization.
1. Using SEO is the way you ensure your site is found when a user enters certain keywords into a search engine such as Bing, Google, or Ask.com, amongst many others.
2. Your domain name is the first step in SEO – choosing the right name makes a lot of difference!
3. SEO is more than just researching the correct keywords – it is about placement, as well as the right percentage of repetition. You need to research the titles of the pages within your website, as well as the descriptions on each page.
4. Using anchor images and alt text is the next step.
5. Ensure your site has a structure by using the right headers, sub-headers, and body text. SEO scans ALL the text within your website, so if your keywords are lost in a sea of spam, the user will not see them as easily as if it is kept simple and structured.

Email Host

Once you have set up your website, and are ready to launch, you will find that using an email host like G-Suite or Microsoft will make your life easier. These hosts bring everything to one place – you may have more than one email address that you would like to register, perhaps for other employees, or for different purposes (admin, sales, etc.), and the email host can act as a server for all these addresses.
An email host also provides the following:
1. Security – they will filter out spam and potential viruses.
2. Support – there will be 24-hour assistance should anything go wrong.
3. Flexibility – ensuring that your emails are accessible on all devices.
4. Storage – there should never be any issues surrounding space and the number of emails you can keep in your Inbox folders.
5. Maintenance – your email server should never be ‘down’, and you want to choose a host that provides at least 99% ‘up time’ to ensure that your business never loses out due to lost messages or missed appointments.
6. Calendar management – you should be able to sync all your calendars so that all appointments are available on all devices, and you can separate work from personal items.

Work with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

By working with an MSP, you are at an advantage because so many issues surrounding viruses, malware, and spyware are often overlooked by even the most comprehensive antivirus software. The software on its own is not enough, this also needs to be monitored and consistently updated.
Along with antivirus software, your hard drive, business software, and licensing certificates need to be monitored, checked for expiration, drive space, and potential failures. By working with an MSP, this is taken care of for you!
This, in combination with some basic training for your staff, can save your business thousands of dollars, as well as time, data, and critical information. No one needs to go looking for an important file only to find it was affected by a virus or deleted in the latest hard disk backup.
Info-Tech Montreal offers Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) services that ensure that there is someone watching at all times, working in the background, making sure that your business runs smoothly.

For more information on any of these points or our RMM services please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Protect Your Business from a Data Breach With These 5 Tips

by Alessandro D'Ambra-Violi

If you think the risk of a data breach or cyberattack is low, think again. According to the 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon, every industry is at risk: last year, attacks were present from manufacturing to retail and from healthcare to administration, and everything in between. To safeguard your company from data breaches, it’s crucial to understand that not all attacks are from external sources – some are internal, and of course sometimes viruses get through accidentally due to employee mistakes.

No matter your industry, you have a lot to lose: your data, customer base, industry secrets, and proprietary information are all targets for attacks. As a cybersecurity expert in Montreal with 25 years of experience, I’ve put together five easy tips you can implement right away to help protect your business from a data breach.

Implement an Employee Policy for Safe Use (anchor links)
Remote Monitoring and Management Agents
Install Proper Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Software
Have a Proper Off-Site or Cloud Back-up of All Data
Install a Backup & Disaster Recovery Device

1. Implement an Employee Policy for Safe Use

Many businesses do not have any type of policy in place that sets boundaries for what employees can and cannot do on the internet and in e-mail accounts. To shield your organization from data breaches, your company should create a formal policy which all employees (current and future) need to sign which details information like e-mail best practices, rules for internet browsing, accessing social media sites, and completing personal tasks (like banking) on company time.

2. Remote Monitoring and Management Agents

Having managed IT services, such as Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) on every computer and server allows your business to be in a proactive rather than reactive position with security threats. Acting as a safeguard against potential data breaches, the RMM can automatically advise your IT support team that there is an imminent disk failure, low disk space, overutilization, and more to ensure it is fixed before you face an IT emergency that prevents your staff from getting work done. Depending on your anti-virus software, RMM can also alert your off-site tech experts when malware is present. Which leads us to…

3. Install Proper Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Software

When you have a team of IT experts monitoring your network security, a proper business class anti-virus solution will have the ability to alert a central web portal when a virus or malware is present. This is a critical step in protecting your business from data breaches. Because we are monitoring that portal, we’ll be able to tell when a machine has any kind of problem before you or your employees notice. We can then push commands to that computer system to clean it of the virus, and update the anti-virus software if needed. In the case that a virus can’t be cleared through a command sent via the portal, we’ll be able to notify you and your employee, connect manually, and remove it that way.

4. Have a Proper off-site or Cloud Back-up of all Data

At the absolute minimum, your business should have a cloud backup that can safely copy your data for you at regular, frequent intervals. This backup strategy is essential to protect your business from the consequences of a data breach. This way, you have access to a backup in case of a ransomware attack, hardware failure, computer damage, or theft.

5. Install a Backup & Disaster Recovery Device

Hands down, the best thing you can do to make sure your business is protected in the event of any kind of attack or damage, is to install a Backup & Disaster Recovery (BDR) device with a cloud backup component. This comprehensive approach will significantly enhance your ability to protect your business from data breaches. If you have onsite servers, this is especially important. In fact, in our opinion here at Info-Tech Montreal, it’s crucial.

Protect Your Business From a Data Breach Today

Don’t wait for a data breach to strike. Protect your business today! Contact Info-Tech Montreal now for a free security assessment and learn how we can safeguard your valuable data and take the first step towards robust IT security & cybersecurity.