May 2018 - DNA IT Solutions

Monthly Archives: May 2018

News

Taking care of IT

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Taking care of IT DNA IT SolutionsTaking care of IT DNA IT Solutions
16
May

In every business there are certain essentials that are common to all.  Electricity, phone lines and access to banking are just a few.  The other essential element to any modern business today is IT.

Reliance on IT

With an increasing reliance on technology to run a business, it can be a scary place for many businesses.  Most organisations will have experts in finance, sales and marketing but it would be rare for a medium sized business to be able to hire a full time IT expert.

Your own IT Expert

Outsourcing elements of your business will be a common concept for most.  Many smaller businesses will outsource their accounting function.  If you are looking for expertise in certain areas that you are not familiar with there is no need to employ full time staff when you can outsource the management of this function.

A managed IT service provider (MSP) will have a team that consistently keep up to date on all the newest technology that is available.  They will have expertise working in many industries and may already be knowledgeable in whatever sector you are in.  They will know your requirements and objectives and work with you to achieve them.

Service Offered

As well as providing and fixing issues with computers and equipment, your MSP will provide a service that will enable you to perform with confidence.  Some little known areas that you may need assistance in are:

Users:  Your team are your best asset but they can also be a threat to your security – without them even knowing it.  Your IT partner will set authorised access levels for staff to ensure they can only access what they need to on a day to day basis.  They will make them aware of security threats, help protect their mobile devices and offer training on cyber security.

Security:  There are many threats to your business, not just the burglar but cyber criminals are a bigger worry.  Your IT partner will ensure you have the right layers of security to help protect you from a data breach or various viruses and malware that can bring your business to a halt.

Cloud:  You may have been considering a move to the cloud, but is it right for you at this moment in time?  Your IT partner will help you decide if you should migrate or stay as you are.  They will also help you look to the future and provide a solution that not only works today but is flexible enough to scale when your business grows.

At DNA IT Solutions we are an independent managed IT Service Provider.  We work with a variety of world class vendors.  This means we have many options at our fingertips to create a solution without putting pressure on you to purchase something in particular.

We offer advice based on our experience with the most popular technology available today.   We work with businesses large and small and all will get access to whatever they need.  We also discuss disaster recovery and help you put the plan in place around business continuity.

DNA IT Solutions don’t just offer back-up – we have your back!   For more information or a consultation please contact our team today.

News

Why choose IBM Cloud?

Posted on by Sean Lucas
why choose IBM Cloud DNA IT Solutions
15
May

IBM was once seen as the option for the big multinationals only.  This private, dedicated cloud offering is now more accessible to mainstream businesses through their partner network.  As one of only a handful of their Irish partners, we have started to bring this innovative product to select clients.  These clients have specific needs, many around data protection and IBM Cloud offers the perfect solution for them.

Secure to the core

IBM Cloud is designed for business data, offering a solution for those organisations that may have complex needs.  Security is key and IBM Cloud is secure to the core.  They started with security rather than adding it on later which is why it is such a trusted brand.   IBM Cloud secures the movement of data on a network of networks. Public, private, and management traffic travel across separate network interfaces, segregating and securing traffic while streamlining management. IBM Cloud meets data sovereignty and compliance regulations with nearly 60 locally owned and operated data centres in 19 countries—that is more than any other cloud provider.

With emerging technologies, it is good to know that it is also AI Ready.  IBM Cloud powers AI-intensive workloads that demand data integrity, low-latency and parallel processing. It also offers a broad range of Watson AI and machine learning APIs to build your own applications

Wide Range

IBM Cloud offers the widest array of database options, from relational to NoSQL, while ensuring strong consistency, high integrity, and no delay.  IBM Cloud offers over 170 services to customers.  These range from bare metal, containers, and serverless computing to hyper scale infrastructure, blockchain, AI/ML, and HP, all with built in security at their core.

Migrate with confidence

Even the most complex migrations to the cloud including VMware, SAP, Oracle or your legacy workloads are made easier with IBM Cloud, allowing you to move faster and be more agile.  DNA IT Solutions have worked with many organisations in a variety of industry sectors to ensure a smooth migration.

Grow without hesitation

We all know that cloud is flexible and scalable but with IBM you reach new heights.  You can expand your footprint without ever changing your cloud provider, it will grow and move with you.  You can  extend from local hosting to full globalisation, and even brokerage in between multiple clouds.

The possibilities with IBM Cloud are endless.  When it becomes time to consider moving to IBM Cloud then DNA IT Solutions can be your partner.  Let us use our expertise to help get you where your business needs to be.   This is IBM Cloud the DNA way.

News

Say Yes to the Cloud

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Say yes to the cloud DNA IT
14
May

Not moved to the cloud yet?

It might seem that everybody else has moved on and you may be feeling a little left behind.  However, it’s never too late to consider a move and if you are looking at growth in the near future then it is something that really needs to be on your agenda.

At DNA IT Solutions, we have been working with businesses all over Ireland for many years helping them migrate to the cloud.  It has changed from a situation where it was something we had to push a company to do, to a new world where the customer is ready to make that move even before we meet them.

Why the Interest in Cloud?

There are many advantages in moving to the cloud including both flexibility and scalability. There can be significant cost savings if you choose the right option for your business. That is why it is critical to make the right decision at the start of your journey to the cloud.

Here are some of the benefits of Cloud Storage

COST EFFECTIVE – You only pay for what you use and there are no more server upgrades, server maintenance or deprecation.  Fixed monthly fees making managing costs easier.  No more fears over building security or environment suitability for servers on premises.

RELIABLE – The data centres involved are maintained by the finest back-up solutions and redundancy systems.  They are staffed by expert teams that keep everything up to date, reducing downtime for your business.

SECURE – Data stored in the cloud is given the highest priority to its security, with top class encryption options available for sensitive data.   Storing your information off site is also a sound decision when it comes to disaster recovery planning.

FLEXIBLE – Cloud means huge resources to hand whenever and for whatever you want to use it for.  Not only storage but applications so that a solution can be configured to meet your specific needs.

SCALABLE – When more storage space is needed you can increase the allowance with little effort.   Scale up and down as your business demands.  No need to buy more expensive hardware or reconfigure hard drives.  With cloud there are no limits.

Cloud is everywhere in business today, particularly for today’s modern mobile workforce.   Using cloud means allowing access to documents to them while on the road or working remotely.  With the correct security layers, data can be accessed as if you were in the office from anywhere without concern.

If you think your business is ready for a move to the cloud give us a call to discuss your options.

News

Protect your business from Ransomware

Posted on by Sean Lucas
protect ransomware DNA IT Solutions
08
May

All organisations are increasing their reliance on IT for the day to day running of their business.

There is more sharing of information and storage of data in a digital format.  There are more remote workers and that is the shape of the modern enterprise – people working from home, working remotely on site, working while on the go.   With this sharing of data comes great advantages but it is accompanied by increased risks also.

Cyber Criminals

Cyber criminals are on the lookout for businesses they can target.  They look for the ones that are vulnerable.  According to World back up day, 60 million computers will fail in the next 12 months, 30% of us do not back up and 10% of computers are infected with a virus each month.

Smartphones, tablets and laptops are especially vulnerable.  Users can unwittingly download malicious files that will infect a device or even put them in a situation where ransomware holds their data for hostage.

Ransomware   

We all remember WannaCry.  Once it had infected a device, it encrypted files, displays a “ransom note” and demanded bitcoin payment.  In a situation like that many panicked users just paid up making it more attractive for the cyber criminals to plan their next attack.

You might imagine that it takes much expertise, time and resources to create something like WannaCry.  However, ransomware kits are easily accessible and virus protection only recognises existing strains.  That is why back up is such an important element of your security solution.

Protect your business

The good news is that there are ways of protecting both your data and your business.  Security products that add a layer of security to email systems will help prevent malicious emails from arriving in the user’s inbox.  Security training for end users can be helpful in allowing them to identify an email that may cause issues.  Protection not just for the PCs in the office, but for all mobile devices is crucial with remote working practices.

Even if you do get attacked, you can put in place processes to ensure that the data that is lost is restored.  A proper backup plan will ensure you have copies of the files stored in another location that is secure and readily accessible by your IT team.  Restored within hours not days, enabling you to get on with your business.

Ransomware is a scary word but with the right IT Security you can reduce your risk and have methods in place to counteract an attack.  To discuss your options, talk to the team at DNA IT Solutions today.