September 2018 - DNA IT Solutions

Monthly Archives: September 2018

News

Security is Vital for Better Business Success

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Security vital for business success DNA IT Solutions
24
Sep

When you are building a business you will have a series of goals to meet that, for you, will measure your success.  On your journey to success you will no doubt change and adapt to whatever challenges you meet.  Digital transformation will be part of that journey.

Security and Trust

As you grow, your reputation will be one of the key factors in your success.  When it comes to brands, having the trust of the customers will aid growth through confidence.  Once that trust is broken in any way, not only is it a PR disaster but it will start to affect sales almost immediately and into the future.

Security Plan

Having a robust security plan in place for your business should be a priority.  Doing a full audit of the current situation and identifying what areas need to be looked at is the first step.  Seeing what data you have and how and where it is stored will be valuable.  Ensuring systems and platforms are as secure as you can make them is the next priority.  Having your team aware of cyber security and giving them the tools to protect themselves so they in turn can protect your business is key.

Mobile Security

Increasing use of mobile devices both within the business and by customers’ needs to be reviewed.  The security of WiFi within the organisation building but also the use of it by remote staff needs to be addressed.  Security of email and protocols should be in place to prevent phishing and ransomware attacks.  There are so many areas for attention which may include risks of hacking of any new technology such as chatbots or IoT products.  Alot centers around the concerns of your customer personal data being vulnerable.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery will be on the agenda when it comes to security.  Deciding on where in the cloud information is stored and backed up and having a plan around business continuity should an attack occur.  All these security concerns need to be addressed for ultimate business success.

Planning what you need to do and implementing it is the goal.  Knowing that there is not just one solution that fits all is a start.  Planning a set of different layers with different priorities that build up to a robust protective cloak will keep your business safe.  Plan your security strategy today and plan for business success.

News

Come on a Digital Journey with IBM Cloud

Posted on by Sean Lucas
A Digital Journey with IBM Cloud DNA IT Solutions
12
Sep

DNA IT Solutions recently hosted a breakfast seminar, in conjunction with IBM (last Thursday 6th September) – I thought I would share some thoughts and insights from the day.

IBM ThinkSpace

Not with-standing the rain and a shunt on the M50, we welcomed over 50 guests to the Innovation centre at IBM Damastown. For those visiting the IBM Campus for the first time it was very much a case of “Who Knew?” Damastown is an impressive campus employing over 600 people, playing host to the European Cloud team, and clearly one of Dublin’s best kept secrets!

We heard first from IBM with an overview of their expansive cloud offerings, suitable for all sizes of organisation. There is a perception out there that the IBM Cloud offering remains big cloud for big business. We need to remove that myth.

DNA IT & IBM Relationship

The reason DNA IT have this relationship with IBM is to take enterprise grade IT Cloud Services to our customers – regardless of their size. Our heritage has always been a very business lead mindset where first and foremost we must spend the time educating clients on their strategic options and then planning real execution. We put the time and effort on the ground with clients to help them understand their needs.

The reality is that all business expectations have dramatically changed in recent years with an ‘always on’ mentality, flexibility of working, access to real time data and intelligence, emphasis on security etc.etc. … these are the things that are driving business and this demand is what is driving an appetite to leverage innovative cloud facilities and applications.

What DNA IT do is to assist organisations to access these key technologies in an innovative way to deliver on their business objectives. As you can see the options available are enormous and this brings its own challenges. So, we start with the business need, understand the objectives and then we bring in the experts to architect the desired result.

Blue Insurance

David Moore, CTO, Blue Insurance, then took us through his own Journey to the Cloud and his experience of working with DNA IT Solutions as his partner to get there.

His authentic story of how IT has progressed since the early days of Blue Insurance to the cloud-based service it utilises today resonated extremely well with the audience. He needed to show that IT could deliver on an aggressive business plan, be able to scale quickly as the business grew and all this whilst minimising risk and becoming increasingly security focused. They are still on this Journey but confident of success with a trusted partner onboard.

Strategic Overview

Both were then followed with a strategic overview from DNA’s own Principal Cloud Solutions Director, Declan Hussey, who talked about the value of finding the right technology partner.

There’s an old adage…. If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there.

Our advice to clients is to always start out with the end in mind. This is a statement that you will hear engineers say over and over, but now business leaders need to listen. Like never before, the demand is massive in areas of security, properly designed IT systems, resilience and overall excellence. A comprehensive plan is fundamental to delivering on business expectations.

DNA IT Solutions put huge stock in the first phase of the journey being all about the business, understanding the needs, the challenges and so on and getting all key stakeholders bought in. Then we can deliver innovation, acceleration and excellence.

We have clients come to us regularly migrations gone wrong (Not just cloud!). The key failures are easy to identify, and it boils down to a lack of planning and poor execution. This can be avoided if the right partner is selected in the 1st instance and a proven model of deployment is followed.

As I reflect I can say I took three main messages away from the day;

1.     IBM, the best kept secret in the Cloud space in Ireland – have an excellent, comprehensive cloud offering in the market, suitable for business of all sizes

2.     Moving to the Cloud is a journey not and event, cloud can bring significant benefits to business but its not a case of simply migrating everything in a big bang approach

3.     Find a partner that takes time to understand your business and who can then provide the best advice to deliver the solution your business demands

If you would like to hear further insights and support for your journey to the cloud, we would love to hear from you.

Neil Mullaney, DNA IT Solutions

News

Planning for Digital Transformation

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Planning for Digital Transformation DNA IT Solutions
09
Sep

Digital transformation happens when an organisation takes advantage of the technology available to change their activities in order to grow their business.  Keeping up with technological advances can be the lifeline to any business. With so many changes happening so quickly in the world today, a strategic decision to future proof a business should be high on the agenda.

Knowledge

Knowing what is happening around you is the first step and figuring out what you need is the next one.   You need to find out what is driving the change not only in your industry but in your customer’s world and how that will affect your business.  Your customers are increasingly reliant on technology in their day to day lives.  With social media, the use of messing apps and smartphones the way we are all communicating has changed dramatically over recent years.  Businesses that don’t offer the communication methods that are demanded will not survive long.  Having the technology in place to do business in the way your customers want could mean having the advantage over a competitor.

Adapting to Change

Your business needs the right tools and support to operate in this highly digital world.  Apps that are interactive and intuitive, systems that have predictive tools for planning and so much more are all available to you.  Being relevant in today’s changing world is the way to survive.

There has never been so much data being produced, your customers are increasingly concerned about their data and the way it is shared.  As a business you must ensure its safety as they interact with you online via bots or just doing transactions without speaking to a human.  Confidence in how an organisation keeps their customer data secure is vital.

With an educated audience, the expectations of the customer are high around security of mobile devices and encryption.

Expectations

How your data stored and where it lives will be of concern if there is an outage or attack.  Getting back up and running with such a high reliance on IT and data can cause nightmares.  With digital transformation these concerns can be changed to reassurance.

In order to survive in business today we must adapt and digital transformation will keep us relevant to our customer base.  Having the right strategy to get us there and keep us on top is priority.  For a look at your options you can speak with the DNA IT Solutions team.

News

Secure Wi-Fi with WatchGuard

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Secure Wifi watchguard DNA IT Solutions
09
Sep

In this rapid-paced modern age of constant connectivity, Wi-Fi internet is an absolute must if you want to run an efficient and effective business.

Secure Network

However, speed is not the only quality to look for when selecting a Wi-Fi provider; you must also consider how secure your network is and also look for other helpful features that you can use to take your business to the next level. That’s where WatchGuard comes in.

WatchGuard utilizes a patented security system for their Wi-Fi services. Known as WIPS (which is short for Wireless Intrusion Prevention System), this security is excellent when it comes to defending your network from access attempts by unauthorised devices, intrusions, and even malicious attacks (such as denial-of-service attacks). WIPS can also help to protect and prevent rogue APs (also known as rogue access points), which can compromise the integrity of your network.

Access for Guests

But wireless security isn’t the only benefit you get when you choose WatchGuard. You will also be able to set up Wi-Fi access for your guests that is customised according to your needs and desires. Guest usernames and passwords can be created as needed or in advance with minimal hassle.

You can even integrate your guest Wi-Fi with social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) in order to allow your guests to sign in using those social media log-ins. Furthermore, you can utilise your guest Wi-Fi as a means of additional advertising by incorporating stylish landing pages featuring your company’s products and services.

You will also be able to utilise WatchGuard’s Cloud service, which allows you to access your network and files from multiple access points should you need to do so. You can also customise your Cloud grouping according to your needs; you can have it for one floor of your building, or one specific department, and so on.

Reporting Features

WatchGuard also comes with customisable usage reports that keep you up to date on how your network is functioning. These report can tell you critical information such as bandwidth consumption, application visibility, signal strength, signal coverage, and RF performance.

There are also Analytics tools that can help you to track site usage (such as which sites received more traffic or how many devices logged in during a certain period of time). Ultimately, if you’re looking for an excellent service that can provide you with an effective and secure Wi-Fi network while also offering a great selection of other useful features, WatchGuard is a great option to consider.

For more information on this product you can speak with the expert team at DNA IT Solutions.

 

News

Advice on making the move to the cloud

Posted on by Sean Lucas
Advice on moving to the Cloud DNA IT Solutions
03
Sep

When you hear about the many benefits of moving your business to the cloud it will be no surprise that you may want to get on the project immediately.  However, before you make that final decision you may want to consider your options and look at all the pros and cons.   Sometimes when the concept becomes over complicated it can create barriers that may prevent you moving forward.  A little time spent in consideration of the strategy will be time well spent

Cloud is an opportunity

Here is some basic advice on what to think about while making your decision to start your journey to the cloud;

Don’t get too enthusiastic – Think about what you actually need and what you can you manage.  Maybe you don’t need enterprise level solutions at this stage.  Choose a suitable platform for your business and only buy what you need.  Having too much to handle will only cause problems.

Make a Plan – Ensure it’s a good plan and endeavor to stick to it.  A plan will let you get the work done in time and on budget.  Choose who will manage the project and take responsibility to lead the team with encouragement.  Achieving the objectives will be the reward.

Watch the Costs – Make sure you look at all the costs involved and decide if they fit in your budget.  You will want to compare with what you previously had.  If you are spending more, then justify it with showing what are you going to achieve in the long term.

Reliable and Secure – Are you sure you totally depend on your new technology infrastructure?  It must be reliable with methods in place to prevent outages and fit into your disaster recovery planning.  It must be secure and while cloud will have its own security layers, you will have to implement and handle security aspects relating your data.

Be Ready – Your legacy systems may not initially suit the newer cloud offerings so you may need a hybrid system for now.  You can have short term and medium term plans to suit your migration to the cloud.  It does not have to be all or nothing in the start.

These are only a few considerations for your business when it decides to move to the cloud.  At DNA IT solutions we assist companies just like yours to move seamlessly to the cloud every day of the week.  For more advice, you can speak to our team.