Author: rory-admin

  • Purchased a new laptop? Five steps on how to set it up to maximize your productivity.

    Purchased a new laptop? Five steps on how to set it up to maximize your productivity.

    If you’ve purchased a new laptop recently (or if you’re in the market) you may be wondering what to do with the fresh new start you now have on your hands.

    However, there is the matter of your old laptop before you do anything with your new one, before you send it to e-waste or hand it off to the next person you want to make sure any files you’ll need now or in the future have been taken off of it and stored either directly onto your new device, into cloud storage, or even onto a portable hard drive. Once all of the files have been backed up and you can then safely wipe it to ensure no personal data remains (or have your IT team handle this if you’re unsure).

    Now that the matter of your old laptop has been settled, we can move on to our five tips for maximizing your new laptops potential and setting it up as a new productive workspace:

    1. Perform Any Necessary Updates: Nothing is worse than getting settled in and ready to use a new device only to be prompted that you need to update RIGHT NOW. That’s why we suggest getting this out of the way and performing any necessary updates right out of the box, it may seem a little counterintuitive that a brand-new device would need updates right away but generally they’re packed up by manufacturers with just what you need to get it turned on – all the configuring comes later.
    2. Uninstall What You DON’T Want: This is also a good time to uninstall any pre-configured programs that you don’t want, like an anti-virus program that’s different than the one your company uses or programs that are really more of an advertisement for the manufacturer. Again, reach out to your IT team for assistance if you’re unsure what’s okay and not okay to remove.
    3. Set Up Backups for This New Device: If you’re using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace your office probably has backups that would cover your new device, so you’ll want to set these up so any files you bring over or create on your new laptop are backed up as well.
    4. Install Your Productivity Software: Microsoft 365, Adobe, your preferred browser, applications for your VoIP provider, anything you need to do your job day to day can safely be installed at this point in the process.
    5. Finishing Touches: Lastly, you can setup your laptop in appearance, setting up dark mode where applicable, changing your background, setting your preferred font size. All the finishing touches that will make working from this new device feel streamlined and familiar (but with the added boost of having a newer, more capable device).

    On the back end, your IT team should be setting up the tools needed to keep your new device safe such as end point protection, virus scans, malware detection and more. They may want to perform these updates right after any necessary updates to the operating system have been completed or they may want to as soon as your device will be connected to your office network. It’s a good idea to work with your IT team on setting up your new device in a way that’s both productive AND secure.

    If you don’t currently have an IT team or the one you work with does not provide new device support, reach out to Valley Techlogic today. In addition to customized procurement advice and support, setting up new client devices is an included service in all of our support plans. Setup a consultation with us today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Six Ways Continuous Monitoring Keeps You a Step Ahead in Your Cyber Security Efforts

    Six Ways Continuous Monitoring Keeps You a Step Ahead in Your Cyber Security Efforts

    In today’s digital age, businesses face an ever-increasing number of cyber threats. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, the need for robust and proactive security measures has never been greater. One of the most effective strategies for safeguarding business assets and sensitive information is continuous monitoring. Here are six ways continuous monitoring benefits businesses when seeking comprehensive cyber security solutions.

    1. Real-Time Threat Detection

    Continuous monitoring provides businesses with real-time visibility into their network activities. Traditional security measures, which often rely on periodic scans and updates, can leave gaps in protection. Continuous monitoring, on the other hand, ensures that potential threats are identified and addressed as they occur. This real-time threat detection is crucial in minimizing the window of opportunity for cybercriminals, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches and other security incidents.

    1. Proactive Risk Management

    By constantly monitoring systems and networks, businesses can proactively manage risks. Continuous monitoring tools can identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses before they are exploited by attackers. This proactive approach allows businesses to implement timely patches, updates, and security measures to fortify their defenses. Instead of reacting to incidents after they happen, businesses can stay ahead of potential threats, creating a more secure and resilient environment.

    1. Enhanced Compliance

    Regulatory compliance is a critical concern for many industries. Continuous monitoring helps businesses maintain compliance with various standards and regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. These regulations often require ongoing monitoring and reporting of security measures. By integrating continuous monitoring into their security strategy, businesses can ensure they meet compliance requirements, avoid hefty fines, and protect their reputation.

    1. Improved Incident Response

    When a security incident occurs, the speed and effectiveness of the response are crucial in mitigating damage. Continuous monitoring equips businesses with the necessary tools and information to respond swiftly to incidents. Detailed logs and real-time alerts provide valuable insights into the nature and scope of the threat, enabling security teams to isolate affected systems, contain the breach, and implement remediation measures. This rapid response capability minimizes downtime, reduces financial losses, and preserves customer trust.

    1. Cost Efficiency

    While investing in continuous monitoring may seem like a significant expense, it can actually lead to substantial cost savings in the long run. By preventing data breaches and minimizing the impact of security incidents, businesses can avoid the financial consequences of lost data, legal liabilities, and reputational damage. Additionally, continuous monitoring can streamline security operations, reducing the need for manual interventions and allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than constant firefighting.

    1. Increased Business Agility

    In today’s fast-paced business environment, agility is a key competitive advantage. Continuous monitoring provides businesses with the flexibility to adapt to evolving threats and changing security landscapes. With real-time insights and up-to-date threat intelligence, businesses can make informed decisions and adjust their security strategies as needed. This agility ensures that businesses remain resilient in the face of emerging threats and can quickly pivot to address new challenges.

    Continuous monitoring is a vital component of a robust cyber security strategy. By providing real-time threat detection, proactive risk management, enhanced compliance, improved incident response, cost efficiency, and increased business agility, continuous monitoring empowers businesses to safeguard their digital assets and maintain a strong security posture. As cyber threats continue to evolve, businesses that invest in continuous monitoring will be better equipped to protect their operations, data, and reputation.

    Embrace continuous monitoring today and take a proactive stance in securing your business against the ever-present cyber threats of tomorrow by partnering with Valley Techlogic. Our plans include cyber security protections like continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection and end point security by default. Learn more today by scheduling a consultation with us today.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • You have cloud backups for your business, but are you wasting money on storage you don’t need? 5 ways to tidy up your cloud storage

    You have cloud backups for your business, but are you wasting money on storage you don’t need? 5 ways to tidy up your cloud storage

    The worst backup situation to have as a business owner is no backups at all, so if you’ve made keeping backups of your data a priority in your business, we want to encourage you to keep the effort up. Having data backups is crucial for making a full recovery in the event of device failure, cyber security breaches and more.

    With that said, the cost of storage and in particular cloud storage is something to be considered when formulating a plan for backups. With physical hardware you have a tangible wall that prevents storage costs from ballooning out of control, but with cloud storage no such wall exists. Your provider will likely sell you as much data storage as you need and if your backups aren’t set up in an efficient way you may find the costs continue to rise while not being entirely sure as to why.

    Here are five ways to setup efficiency for your cloud backup solution and keep costs under control:

    1. Implement Data Archiving Policies: Regularly archive older, infrequently accessed data to cheaper, long-term storage solutions. This reduces the cost of more expensive, high-performance storage.
    2. Use Tiered Storage Solutions: Take advantage of cloud providers’ tiered storage options. Store critical, frequently accessed data in high-performance storage and less critical data in more economical storage tiers.
    3. Automate Backup Schedules and Policies: Set up automated backup schedules to ensure data is backed up regularly without human intervention. Use policies to manage retention, ensuring outdated backups are deleted after a certain period.
    4. Compress and Deduplicate Data: Use data compression and deduplication techniques to reduce the amount of storage required. Compression reduces file size, while deduplication eliminates duplicate copies of data.
    5. Monitor and Optimize Storage Usage: Regularly review storage usage and costs. Use analytics and reporting tools provided by cloud providers to identify unused or underused resources and optimize storage allocation accordingly.

    By implementing these strategies, business owners can effectively manage their cloud storage costs and maintain an organized, efficient backup system.

    Did you know backups are a core feature of Valley Techlogic’s service offering? Not only can we assist you in maintaining your existing backups, we also will keep our own backup of your data as part of your service plan with us.

    You can learn more about our backup program here, but in a nutshell whether you want to keep your current backups and utilize ours as an additional copy or erase that expenditure from your billing and let us handle it – Valley Techlogic can support your business’s backup planning in addition to the other ways we support your business.

    Learn more today by scheduling a meeting with one of our experienced

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • AI updates for 2024 and what they mean for you, including the addition of multimodal for Google Gemini & ChatGPT and Amazon’s new AI Alexa service

    AI updates for 2024 and what they mean for you, including the addition of multimodal for Google Gemini & ChatGPT and Amazon’s new AI Alexa service

    AI (Artificial Intelligence) continues to try and proliferate the space in which we live, from innovations aimed at simplifying our work activities and increasing productivity, to enhancements to our devices that will make using AI in our homes more accessible. It’s impossible to ignore that Google, Amazon and other major players in the tech space want to make AI part of our daily lives.

    But what does this really mean for you and are the advancements coming to AI in 2024 really going to be useful for the average person? In today’s article we’d like to look at some of the AI announcements that have made major headlines and break down what they mean for you.

    Multimodal AI: First of all, what is multimodal AI? Traditionally at the moment you input one type of content request into AI models, such as a text prompt asking for an image or written text, and it provides you with an answer based on the prompt that covers whichever content you requested (IE written OR visual).

    With multimodal AI you won’t be limited to one form of output, instead you can enter a prompt that requests a mix of medias, such as a report that includes text AND images that align with the report.

    Multimodal AI will pull from several different data inputs to give you a more complete pictures without the need to enter separate prompts for different types of media. Also, because all of this is being processed at the same time you will likely see more cohesive results. Both ChatGPT and Google Gemini have begun to offer a multimodal AI experience and we expect the technology behind this type of AI will continue to improve in the coming months.

    AI comes to Amazon’s Alexa: Amazon made the announcement that a subscription based Alexa service will be rolling out sometime this year and will provide a better user experience, with more intuitive answers to questions and a conversational approach to requests to keep up with the current trends (search queries have become more conversational overall and it’s largely attributed to AI).

    Pricing has yet to be announced but Amazon has stated it will not be included with Amazon Prime. Amazon will use it’s own large language model, Titan, to power the upgrade.

    AI for Marketing?: The Google Marketing Live 2024 event was this week and unsurprisingly AI the feature focus for the tech giant. With enhancements announced to immerse consumers in AI powered ads and an “AI readiness tool” that will be available sometime this year.

    Highlights included the ability to take a static “hero asset” and turn it into a video with a realistic 3D animated background, the ability to use AI to recreate and retool existing ad creatives, and enhancements to search that allow consumers to buy a product they find as a solution to a search query directly from the same browser window.

    Generative AI lets you continuously improve your AI experience: Finally, increased improvements to generative AI, which is AI that learns the patterns and structure of your input, will make using AI to create cohesive content for your business even easier. From allowing your employees to seek out answers to questions without an exhaustive web search to aiding in crafting articulate responses to your clients and more. With generative AI your voice is an additional component to your AI experience. Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn and ChatGPT continue to include enhancements to the generative AI experience. You can even add a background prompt to give additional context to your AI program of choice (such as information about your business or yourself) so the responses you receive are uniquely tailored to you.

    Looking to improve your business with AI strategies or take advantage of AI advancements in cyber security including enhanced monitoring, threat detection and real time solutions? Valley Techlogic remains at the fore front of new technologies, and we can assist you in navigating AI solutions for your business. Learn more today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Have you heard of zero trust security? Why it should be the standard for small businesses and 3 ways to implement it

    Have you heard of zero trust security? Why it should be the standard for small businesses and 3 ways to implement it

    Explaining cyber security in 2024 means navigating all sorts of buzz words – cybersecurity awareness, data breach, ransomware and malware, endpoint security, threat detection, two-factor and multi-factor authentication, and yes zero trust just to name a very small portion of them.

    We know users feel burnt out on the number of phrases that do represent actual security threats that are thrown at them day to day, as an IT service provider it can be difficult to translate this phrasing into a tangible concern for our clients.

    For example, whose data hasn’t been leaked in a data breach in 2024? Our personal data has become a commodity that most of us have accepted may end up on the internet in ways we can’t anticipate or prevent.

    But that’s not exactly true, with a zero trust environment you can make your business much more resilient to threats and data breaches and it’s not as difficult as you may think.

    What is Zero Trust? Zero Trust abandons the idea that everything connected to your work network is safe and instead treats everything as a potential threat, you might be thinking now, why would I want that? It is a more rigorous approach but extremely beneficial, if every device must be individually verified then none of them can act as a trojan horse to your business.

    The key pillars of Zero Trust are:

    • Least Privilege: Users get enough access to do their job, no more no less. We can’t tell you how many situations we’ve encountered where everyone’s computer has admin level privileges, and in a data breach situation that would make any one of those devices an extreme threat to your business.
    • Continuous Verification: It might be kind of irritating at first to check your two-factor application or your phone for a texted code – but the benefits will come in spades should any of your passwords be leaked (only around 50% of users are aware of good password hygiene).
    • Network Segmentation: This one is not too difficult to implement, and your users won’t even notice it, this is just segmenting your network so that say your work computers and other devices are on one network and outside devices (like a visitor’s cellphone) are on something like a guest network. This zero cost fix will mean you have greatly reduced exposure to threats from outside devices.

    Within the pillars it’s easy to see the three steps we would recommend someone start with when setting up a zero trust environment, that is reducing users to having only the level of access tey need, enforcing two factor or multi-factor authentication, and setting up at the very least a guest network.

    When it comes to implementing cyber security standards, the sky is the limit. All of the settings we recommend above really only cost time, but they will benefit your business greatly in the event any kind of breach occurs.

    Limiting the damage that can be done is always the goal when it comes to cyber security, hackers will constantly push at boundaries and find ways to access your systems (yes even if you’re a small business) and with minor improvements you can protect yourself from most major threats.

    Cyber security protection is a cornerstone of our service plans, and whether you’re interested in evolving your cyber security standards to include zero trust strategies or in receiving the benefits of a comprehensive cyber security stack without having to assemble it yourself, Valley Techlogic has you covered. Book a meeting with us today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Apple releases their new M4 chip and it’s getting rave reviews, also considering the benefits of Apple vs Microsoft for your office

    Apple releases their new M4 chip and it’s getting rave reviews, also considering the benefits of Apple vs Microsoft for your office

    As a Microsoft partner we have to be honest, we don’t usually recommend Apple products to our clients. For us as an IT service provider the more cohesive a client’s hardware stack is the easier it is for us to recommend a concentric approach to your services. When all devices are from the same vendor and of a similar age and specifications you can take the same approach to managing them across the board.

    However, that ease is only slightly advantageous on our end, the truth is it’s better to meet a clients needs for supplying their employees with the right device for their workflow than trying to have everyone on the same type of device across the board just to make managing them slightly easier.

    For some businesses that means having more powerful devices for certain admin employees with a heavy workflow, having tiny devices for interns and those who aren’t using a computer very often, laptops for those on the go very frequently, and Apple products for those who depend on certain Apple software to do their day-to-day job (often those in creative fields) or those who just prefer the Apple UI to the Windows UI.

    With the roll out of this new M4 chip we will see broader applications for those who need a small device that still packs a big punch, while it’s currently only available on the iPad we are certain we will see lighter, faster laptops sporting this new chip soon.

    The benchmarks currently available for this chip are impressive as well, with it coming in at being a 50% increase in performance over their M2 chips and outpacing Intel’s own current top CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H while using only one fourth of the power according to reports.

    So not only will the devices sporting this chip be faster, but they will also likely have improved battery life over the competition as well.

    Of course, price is another consideration especially when trying to budget for an office, with the 11-inch iPad coming in at a starting price of $999 we anticipate laptops using this new technology will be on the spendy side as well. This is of course not unheard of when buying new tech though and something we often see with new graphics cards, new CPU’s from other makers, etc. If you want the latest in greatest in technology, you will have to be prepared to pay for it.

    According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the first M4 MacBook Pro could launch around the end of 2024. He anticipates we won’t see a full roll out of the new product line until early 2025.

    If outfitting your office with devices that meet your employee’s needs, upgrading older devices, or just evaluating your hardware stack is something you’re considering, Valley Techlogic is able to help.

    As you can see, procurement assistance is one of the services we offer to our customers at no additional cost. Reach out today and learn more about how we can assist you in bringing your office into greater technological productivity in 2024.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Are you sure you can count on your data backups? 5 ways to confirm your backups are working (and avoid the 37% data backup failure rate)

    Are you sure you can count on your data backups? 5 ways to confirm your backups are working (and avoid the 37% data backup failure rate)

    Data backups are a big part of our service offering here at Valley Techlogic (learn more here) and we believe backing up your data is one of the easiest preventative option for a host of technology related headaches – including device failure, cyber breaches, accidental deletions and more.

    According to the statistics 91% of business organizations have some form of data backup in place but 76% report having a data loss in the last year. This tells us backups are happening, they’re just not happening very well.

    Here are five ways to check to see if your data backups are functioning as they should:

    1. Regular Backup Testing: Schedule regular tests where you restore data from your backups to ensure they are functional. This can involve restoring a small subset of data or running a full restoration process in a test environment.
    2. Data Integrity Checks: Use checksums or hash functions to verify the integrity of backed-up data. By comparing checksums or hashes of original data with those of the backed-up data, you can ensure that the backup process has not introduced any errors or corruptions.
    3. Backup Monitoring Tools: Implement backup monitoring tools that provide real-time alerts and reports on backup status, including successful completion, errors, or failures. These tools can help you proactively identify any issues with your backup process.
    4. Versioning Verification: If your backup system supports versioning, regularly check that multiple versions of files are being retained as expected. This ensures that you have access to historical versions of data in case of accidental deletions or data corruption.
    5. Backup Logging and Auditing: Maintain detailed logs of backup activities, including start and end times, success or failure statuses, and any error messages encountered. Regularly review these logs to identify any anomalies or patterns that may indicate problems with the backup process.

    Other pitfalls we see when it comes to backups? Not backing up everything you intend to, there’s nothing worse than going to look for a file and realizing it was deleted accidentally at some point. Or not moving your files to the intended central location that does receive regular backing up and experiencing a device failure.

    It’s a good idea to take a look at the full picture when it comes to backups, for many simply backing up your office server is enough because all work stems from that central location (this is especially true if you use a type of specialized software that all employees must work through and that software is stored on the office server).

    For others work is less centralized, and it might make sense to backup the workstations of specific employees because if their devices were lost, compromised, or broken it would also mean a loss of files that are significant to your day-to-day operations.

    Another backup related item to consider? Your email. While most email services offer ample storage, we still find it’s a good idea to add a backup to that just in case (and again, this is another protection against losing data due to a breach which occurs frequently with email). At Valley Techlogic we even have a product that can backup your Microsoft 365 data specifically, and if you use Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. throughout your business or as your business productivity software suite of choice, this kind of backup coverage can go a long way.

    In a nutshell, if you’re looking for assistance in determining if your backups are functioning as they should, in expanding your backups to include more of your data, a switch from on-premises backups to cloud or even establishing backups from the ground up Valley Techlogic is able to assist you with all of these and more. Backups are one facet of the services you’ll receive as a Valley Techlogic client, so what are you waiting for? Get started today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Frontier Communications suffered a cyber security breach last week that shut down their systems

    Frontier Communications suffered a cyber security breach last week that shut down their systems

    Frontier, a leading internet provider that’s coverage area includes millions of customers across the United States, suffered a cyber security breach last week that forced them to shut down some systems to prevent further damage.

    “On April 14, 2024, Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. [..] detected that a third party had gained unauthorized access to portions of its information technology environment,” the company revealed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.

    They also stated based on their findings that a third party entity from a cybercrime group was likely responsible for the event and may have gained access to some PII (Personal Identifying Information). They have not yet stated whether the PII data likely belonged to customers, employees or both.

    As of writing Frontier has stated that systems are back online, but from the responses to their company Twitter page that doesn’t appear to be the case across the board.

    Customers are also stating that when calling for support they’re being directed to an automatic message and cannot reach a live person at this time. In general, Frontier appears to be doing damage control as they struggle to regain control of the systems that were impacted by the cyber attack.

    Internet provides are a popular target for cyber crime group, as a disruption that makes national news is highly profitable when it comes to bargaining with the affected entities. To add insult to injury the data they’re able to collect during a successful attack is also often profitable on the dark web after the fact.

    Even if your business is not a nationwide internet provider, that doesn’t mean you are safe from attacks such as these. Data leaks following these attacks can occur from successful attacks, including credentials or payment information for business accounts.

    Attackers also cast a wide net when conducting attackers such as these, your business may be inadvertently included on an attack intended for another business. You may even be the primary target if they’re looking for businesses of a specific niche or location. It’s foolhardy to ignore the warning signs attacks like this pose. If multi-billion dollar companies are struggling to prevent attacks such as these, what hope does your business have in preventing them?

    That’s where Valley Techlogic comes in, we offer cyber security coverage for the following elements all under one monthly plan:

    In addition to these cyber security preventions, we also offer ongoing backups, help desk services, preventative maintenance, project management and support and more. Reach out today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • The 6 roles you would you need to fill to match the services delivered by an outsourced IT vendor

    The 6 roles you would you need to fill to match the services delivered by an outsourced IT vendor

    Has your business grown to the point you’re now looking to improve the IT solutions you have available, including possibly adding additional staff? Or maybe you’re currently the go-to person for providing technical support for your users (we see this a lot) and you’re realizing you need additional help to ensure things continue to run smoothly.

    It can be difficult to determine whether it makes sense to bring onboard additional in-house resources or if it’s perhaps a better idea to outsource the task to a company whose sole purpose is providing those services. When considering your options here are the six roles you would need to fill to match the services provided by an outsourced IT service provider as well as their average salary requirements:

    Systems Administrator: Responsible for the overall maintenance, configuration, and reliable operation of computer systems and networks within the organization. They ensure that systems are secure, updated, and performing optimally.

     

     

    Network Administrator: Manages and maintains the organization’s network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, and internet connectivity. They oversee network security, troubleshoot network issues, and optimize network performance.

     

     

    Security Specialist/Analyst: Focuses on protecting the organization’s IT assets
    from security breaches, cyber threats, and unauthorized access. They implement security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption protocols, and they monitor for security incidents.

     

    Help Desk/Support Technician: Provides frontline technical support to end-users, troubleshooting hardware and software issues, resolving technical problems, and providing guidance on IT-related queries. They may also handle user account management and software installations.

     

    Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer: Tests software applications and systems to ensure they meet quality standards, functional requirements, and performance expectations. QA engineers identify bugs, conduct regression testing, and contribute to software quality improvement efforts.

     

    IT Project Manager: Oversees IT projects from initiation to completion, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and according to specifications. Project managers coordinate resources, manage risks, and communicate project status to stakeholders

     

    To contrast, with a managed IT service solution you’re usually looking at a fraction of the cost of the salary for just one of these staff members while still having access to all of these roles individually to support your business. Additionally, you won’t need to worry about the hiring process or all of the overhead that comes with hiring new employees.

    We can’t say what the right choice is for your business, and for some businesses it’s not an either-or situation. Sometimes it makes sense to hire one onsite staff member as a go to person while still outsourcing to provide better coverage and meet your long-term technology improvement goals.

    We can’t speak for other providers but for Valley Techlogic we have plans available to cover a variety of technology setups, whether we’re offering a co-managed solution and working alongside an existing staff resource or whether we’re taking over the technology side of your business in it’s entirety so you can focus on everything else. Learn more today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Are your emails not getting through? Changes to Google and Yahoo DMARC Policy might be to blame

    Are your emails not getting through? Changes to Google and Yahoo DMARC Policy might be to blame

    Email deliverability can be tricky to guarantee, and now with recent changes to Google and Yahoo’s DMARC policies getting your emails delivered to your customers and prospects may be even more difficult.

    First, we should start out by explaining what DMARC is, DMARC or Domain Based Message Authentication is the process that checks to make sure the email that’s being sent is being sent from the domain it’s proclaiming to be. Its main purpose is to protect against email spoofing, which is when you have an email that says it’s from @yourdomain.com but is really from @notyourdomain.com.

    Why is that important? Ideally you do not want potentially bad actors being able to masquerade as you on the web and contact your customers or potential customers. The hiccup is that setting up DMARC and the provisions that go into it (SPF or Sender Policy Framework and DKIM or DomainKeys Identified Mail) are not for the faint of heart.

    SPF and DKIM are the groundwork that is then checked by DMARC, and we apologize for throwing all of these acronyms at you, but we promise they’re important if you are a business who relies on email (and who in the current day and age doesn’t?). Especially if most of your customers have Gmail or Yahoo emails.

    Gmail and Yahoo have both updated their policies to take a tougher stance on emails being sent without these policies set in place. To put it simply, if you don’t have these setup your emails are going to be sent to the spam box or not reach your target at all.

    So how do you begin setting up, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your business?

    SPF (Sender Policy Framework):

    1. Access your DNS records: Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider where your domain’s DNS records are managed.
    2. Create or edit your SPF record: Locate your domain’s DNS settings and add a TXT record. If you already have an SPF record, you’ll need to edit it. If not, create a new one.
    3. Define your SPF policy: In the TXT record, specify which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This is done by listing the IP addresses or domain names of your authorized email servers. For example, if you use Google Workspace for your email, your SPF record might include something like: “v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all”. This indicates that Google’s servers are allowed to send emails for your domain.
    4. Test your SPF record and Publish your SPF Record: Use SPF testing tools to verify that your SPF record is correctly configured. There are various online tools available for this purpose. Once you’re confident that your SPF record is set up correctly, save the changes in your DNS settings. It may take some time for the changes to propagate across the internet.
    5. Monitor and maintain: Periodically review your SPF record to ensure it remains accurate. If you change your email infrastructure, update your SPF record accordingly.

    DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

    1. Generate DKIM keys: You’ll need to generate a pair of DKIM keys – a private key and a public key. The private key will be used to sign outgoing emails, and the public key will be published in your domain’s DNS records for email receivers to verify the authenticity of your emails. This tool can be used to generate DKIM keys for you.
    2. Add DKIM DNS record: Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider where your domain’s DNS records are managed. Add a new TXT record to your DNS settings. This record should contain your DKIM public key along with some DKIM-related tags that specify the version, the domain, and the selector for your DKIM keys.
    3. Configure your email server: Set up your email server to sign outgoing emails using the private key you generated earlier. Most email servers have built-in support for DKIM signing, and you’ll usually need to specify the location of the private key and the DKIM selector.
    4. Test DKIM: Send a test email from your domain and verify that it’s properly DKIM-signed. You can use various online DKIM validation tools to check if your DKIM setup is correct.
    5. Monitor and maintain: Regularly monitor your DKIM setup to ensure that it’s functioning correctly. If you change your email infrastructure or rotate your DKIM keys, remember to update your DKIM DNS record accordingly.

    DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)

    1. Create a DMARC policy: Determine what action you want email receivers to take when they receive emails that fail DMARC authentication. Options include monitoring (no action), quarantining (sending suspicious emails to spam folders), or rejecting (blocking suspicious emails).
    2. Publish your DMARC record: Log in to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider and add a TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings. This record contains your DMARC policy along with additional information such as the email address where DMARC reports should be sent.
    3. Monitor and maintain based on DMARC reports: Configure your email system to generate DMARC reports and send them to the specified email address. These reports provide valuable information about how your domain is being used for email, including details about SPF and DKIM alignment.

    We hope the breakdown of how to setup these policies was helpful, but if you’re looking at this list and thinking there’s no way I can implement this on my own then that is where Valley Techlogic can help.

    We have helped our clients navigate domain challenges and answer technical questions such as how to improve email deliverability on top of providing IT solutions that help navigate other day to day technological challenges. Get started with us today.

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    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.