As a small business, it's tempting to think you're safe from hackers. Unfortunately, the truth is that you're sometimes more of a target than larger companies--and that means you need to get creative when it comes to data security. Here's what to know!

The Managed IT Perspective

It's easy to get so caught up in data security concerns and solutions that you lose sight of the big picture. That's when you know it's time to step back and look at security from a different perspective--and luckily, managed IT services delivers.

Managed IT services might seem like something that belongs in an office building, but the truth is that this solution belongs anywhere technology is part of your work. That means managed IT is a great fit for the hospitality industry--and here's why.

Why Does the Hospitality Industry Need Managed IT?

Managed IT services is more than an outsourcing solution. It's your opportunity to choose a capable, professional provider to help handle the twists and turns of a fast-moving tech environment.

But why is it so at home in hospitality? Let's find out:

Ricoh USA, Inc. today announced the launch of RICOH Pro VC70000e, the newest model within its award-winning continuous feed portfolio.

What is penetration testing and what does it mean for your business? Can a managed IT provider perform a penetration test? What are the benefits?

If these questions have been plaguing you for ages, you've come to the right place. This is your guide to managed IT penetration testing (and why it matters for your business). Let's get started!

What is Penetration Testing in Managed IT?

You probably don't consider yourself a hacker--and for the most part, that's a good thing. However, if you don't know how hackers think, you can't fully protect yourself, your data, and your company from their attacks.

That's where penetration tests come in.

What is a penetration test?

A penetration test is like a security assessment, but far more intricate. It's essentially a "mock cyberattack" that acts just like a real one to help uncover vulnerabilities.

Firstly, there are two basic types of penetration tests:

It’s tempting to want to keep printers in the office until they conk out. After all, you want to get your money’s worth out of them.

But here’s why it might be time to upgrade: Printing costs skyrocket as equipment becomes outdated. For one, getting replacement parts will be harder to find when any components break down.

Because of this, the cost of replacement and time it takes for a new part to arrive can be a major setback on budget and efficiency.

And it’s not just the parts that get expensive. Manufacturers may no longer produce the same ink cartridges, making it harder to track down the cartridge you need (and ballooning the price of it too).

In fact, you can often upgrade to a brand-new printer for less than the cost of maintaining the old one.

Without thinking twice, people take reasonable measures to protect themselves and their belongings. For example, we lock the door when we leave the house, we put lock codes on our phones, and our internet is password protected. When it comes to online privacy and security, people tend to think of things like password stealing, unwanted phone calls, and email phishing scams. While these are valid threats to be aware of, there is another danger that often goes unnoticed. Old printers.

What’s the worst that could happen by operating a business with an older printer? Paper jams? Daily error messages? Unfortunately, the risk is much greater. Out-of-date printers and copiers are an overlooked avenue, allowing hackers access to sensitive information.

88% of small business owners felt that they were vulnerable to cyberattacks, according to a survey from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Although we may not think about cybersecurity nearly as much as we should, cyber threats are everywhere. We see them in our emails, we try to ignore them in our spam texts, and you can be sure that these viruses are trying to infiltrate businesses worldwide.

But the question is, what can we do about it? Let’s talk about the biggest solution for small and medium-sized business owners looking to combat cyber threats: Managed IT services.

Managed IT Services: What is it?

Managed IT services is a third-party team that will oversee and maintain the technical side of your business, including:

It can be a pain to have to locate a single document within stacks and stacks of files, which is why so many businesses have turned to digitizing all of their files into a convenient storage system. But even then, if you aren’t taking advantage of document indexing, it can still be tedious to try to find important documents on a computer.

Thankfully, the rise of stronger digital document solutions has made it easier than ever to find your most important documents in an instant. Here’s everything you need to know about document indexing and why you should be using it.

In today’s digital landscape, having all of our documents stored as digital files is both more efficient and highly convenient. But that can also lead to private information becoming more susceptible to viruses and hackers, causing corrupted files and stolen data. Businesses all over need stronger solutions to ensure that their files stay secure. This is where document security can play a critical role.

What Is Document Security?

Businesses need a way to make sure that data stays private while sharing files between key members inside the organization. Document security is the solution that helps prevent data loss while sending these documents online. Some of the most common security measures can include:

In the aftermath of Covid-19, workforces worldwide have changed seemingly overnight. Businesses needed to quickly adapt to the idea of having a hybrid team, with a greater number of people working from home than ever before. This meant needing to come up with better software to accommodate the rapidly growing amount of remote workers, and with this, better software has been rolling out to rise to this challenge.

Mobile workflows have been a robust solution for companies looking to unify their office and home workers, creating a better way for teams to tackle critical projects. Here’s how mobile workflows strengthen hybrid teams and why your business should be adopting them.