Archives for January 2021

Regularly Test Your Backups

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If you have a Managed IT Services Provider like FlexITechs, chances are good your backups are not only being monitored for failures but also being tested on a regular basis to ensure that files restore successfully when needed.

There would be nothing worse than finding out after a natural disaster, a fire, or a Ransomware attack that has encrypted all of your files that your backups either were failing or that they won’t restore properly.

If testing your backups was not discussed when you signed up for an automated backup plan or you simply don’t know if they are being tested, ask your backup provider or backup software company if they are being tested and if not, how to do this.

In general, to test your backups, perform the following procedures:

  • At least once a month, pick a random backup date and restore a handful of files to see if they restore successfully (be careful not to restore over the current version of those files)
  • At least once a quarter, perform a deeper restore operation of numerous files from different backup dates, again being careful not to overwrite the current versions of your files
  • At least once a quarter, check all files in the most recent backup to be sure that you are backing up all files that you would need to restore
  • On a daily basis monitor your backups for failures. Any good backup software will let you know whether the backup succeeded or failed with an email or within the software itself
  • If you see errors at any stage of the backup or restore processes, resolve those issues or have your IT or backup service resolve them for you.

Keep in mind that if your data is critical to the operation of your business, you should perform the steps above more frequently to minimize the risk of partial or complete data loss when you need to restore from your backups.

For help implementing a backup testing program or an automated backup program if you don’t have one, call 302-537-4198 or email me personally at ericm@flexitechs.com.

Benefits of Partnering with an MSP

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While a “computer guy” can satisfactorily serve residential customers and micro-businesses (a handful of employees and computers), that type of IT relationship doesn’t work well for most small- to medium-sized organizations.

A business that relies on technology to operate efficiently and securely but can’t justify the employment costs of a full-time IT person or department needs more than just a computer guy.

It needs a trustworthy partner that can provide the services of an IT Department at a far lower cost and whose financial interests in the relationship align with the client’s.

That’s what makes Managed IT Service Providers such as FlexITechs a good fit for small organizations with 10 to 200 employees.

Let’s start with the financial interests.

A break-fix computer service, no matter how well-intentioned, can only make money when your systems break down.

That obviously conflicts with your financial interests. You need your computer systems to run smoothly for peak productivity and profitability.

Because MSPs charge a budgetable flat monthly rate, like you, we can only be profitable when your computer systems run smoothly as  fixing broken systems cuts into our profit too.

Like our motto says, “We don’t want to fix your computers. We want to prevent them from breaking in the first place.”

From the moment we sit down with you (or Zoom with you for now) to learn your business and discuss your current and future technology needs, you will see that an MSP takes the partnership aspect of the relationship seriously.

MSPs become the de facto IT Department for SMBs with proactive remote monitoring, maintenance, repairs and a Help Desk for employees, using the power of the Internet and remote access tools to provide the same services as an in-house IT person.

A true MSP will also manage technology vendors on your behalf to keep the owner and employees out of the fray of the vendor blame game when they start kicking the ball to each other.

But beyond mere IT services, the best MSPs consult with you on an ongoing basis to ensure that your technology matches your current and future business needs. For instance, will you need remote access for your employees after the pandemic subsides? Should you buy another server or switch entirely to cloud-based applications?

MSPs do all of this for a flat monthly rate that you can budget for and do so with a guaranteed response time (FlexITechs’ guarantee is a 1-hour response time).

So, if your business relies on technology and needs your network and computer systems to run smoothly with minimal downtime, you likely need more than a “computer guy”.

If that’s you, whether you only have a computer guy now or have an IT department but could use more help there with mundane network management and maintenance tasks to free up your IT personnel for more productive pursuits, or you need to fill an opening in your IT department, do your business a favor and consider the FlexIT Managed IT Services Program before you make any decisions.

Just give us a call at 302-537-4198, email us at ericm@flexitechs.com, or submit the Contact form on this page.

New e-Book! Business Resolutions for 2021

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Small business owners and CEOs face a number of continuing challenges, and even though COVID-19 continues to hamper growth, increasing productivity and efficiency while holding off cyber attacks will continue to be the main issues they must deal with.

For that reason, we have written a new e-Book, “New Year Resolutions for Businesses”, that addresses the primary areas small businesses should focus on to securely increase productivity and security.

For your FREE copy, click this link and submit the form and you’ll also be enrolled in our monthly e-letter that provides advice and tips on a variety of small business IT topics.