Did you know hardware and software expire too?

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We are all aware of the term “use by date.” It is regularly used when discussing food and medications and refers to the date after which the product is no longer safe to consume. However, did you know that your software and hardware can expire too?

This is because technology is constantly evolving and advancing. As a result, what was once cutting-edge can become obsolete in the blink of an eye. 

While many people may not think twice about using outdated technology, it has security and privacy implications for your business. Obsolete technology is often less secure than newer versions because it doesn’t receive modern security features or patches from the manufacturer’s support team. This can leave your device and your data less impervious to attacks. Plus, outdated technology may need to comply with current privacy regulations, meaning your data could be at risk.

So, what does this mean for you and your organization? First, staying up to date with the latest software and hardware is essential. When your systems reach their expiration date, you need a plan to protect your business from the fallout of outdated technology.

End-of-support for Office 2013

As of January 2023, Microsoft will no longer offer support for Office 2013. Unfortunately, you will not receive any technical assistance or security updates from Microsoft to protect against potential vulnerabilities.

Continuing to use Office 2013 after this date exposes you to security risks such as malware, phishing, ransomware, and data theft.

To keep your business safe, the best option is to migrate to Microsoft 365. As a cloud-based service, it can increase employee productivity and collaboration without the risk of using unsupported software. In addition, Microsoft automatically patches vulnerabilities as they are discovered, so you can be confident that your systems are always protected against the latest threats.

A stitch in time saves nine

As data breaches and cyberattacks continue to make headlines, organizations are under pressure to bolster their cybersecurity efforts. However, many businesses still need to take adequate precautions to defend themselves. Unfortunately, one of the biggest mistakes a company can make is presuming that its cybersecurity measures are sufficient. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth than this misconception.

Investing in supported technologies is one of the most advantageous ways to protect your business. Supported technologies have routine internal security measures in place, and their support teams create and release updates and patches to make the product more secure and helpful.

In the event of a data breach or cyberattack, supported technologies will also have a team of experts who can assist you in recovering from the incident.

Always remember that prevention is better than cure.

Need help?

You’ve read this far, so you’re committed to keeping your organization safe by ensuring no one is using outdated software or hardware. But this can be a challenging task without professional help. Luckily, we’re here to assist.

We have the experience and expertise to show you the best way to secure your business and provide you with the necessary tools, so you won’t be caught off guard by outdated software or hardware. Contact us today for a free consultation.

4 Practical Steps for SaaS (software as a service) Vendor Backup

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There is always a risk involved in entrusting your business data to a cloud-based platform. No matter how reputable the company may be, there is always a chance that something could go wrong, and your data could be lost or compromised. That is why having a backup and recovery solution for your cloud-based data is crucial. By having a separate backup, you can rest assured knowing that your information is safe, no matter what happens to the cloud platform.

Cloud-based platforms often have limited data restoration capabilities, which can lead to data loss in the event of an outage or data corruption.

Unfortunately, many organizations like yours realize a backup is necessary only after their valuable data is lost. Do not hesitate to deploy a robust backup and recovery solution to safeguard your cloud-based data. Before you get started, knowing best practices can help you get the most bang for your buck.

Here are four best practices to ensure your backup journey is smooth:

Set your expectations
There is no question that backup and recovery are essential considerations for any company using cloud-based platforms. However, the best way to ensure your data is protected is to thoroughly read your vendor’s terms and conditions (T&Cs) to understand their backup procedures.

You need to know the details of how your data recovery plan. A vendor may imply that backup is included in their service offering; however, it is essential to read the details. Some cloud-based service providers may only back up data once per day, while others may back up data in real time.

To be confident that you understand how your vendor will recover your organization’s data, take the time to review your vendor’s T&Cs.

Fine-tune your backup
Data backups are essential, but it’s also important to customize your backup plan to best meet your needs. Otherwise, your backup solution might be insufficient or excessive.

To fine-tune your backup plan for success, consider how quickly data changes to determine the backup frequency. Other factors, such as the amount, type, and importance of data, must also be considered when deciding backup frequency.

Test your backup regularly
Backing up your data is crucial to avoid any unforeseen disasters. However, having a backup is not enough – you must also regularly test it to ensure that it is working correctly and that you can access your data when needed.

By testing it regularly, you can catch issues early and fix them before they become severe. So, how often should you test your backup? The answer may vary depending on your backup system and how crucial your data is, but as a rule of thumb, it is a good idea to test your backup at least once a week.

Stay up to date on the security landscape
In today’s digital world, security risks are constantly evolving. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of the different ways your data could be compromised and have strategies to prevent them.

For survival and competition, organizations prepared to deal with any threat that may arise are far more likely to survive and thrive. In addition, this strategy gives you a significant advantage over your competitors who are not taking these precautions.

By being proactive about security, you can protect your organization from potential threats and ensure its continued success.

An Information Technology service provider can help

There are many things to consider when you are running a business yourself. First, backups are essential, but it can take a lot of work to keep on top of everything. That is where we come in.

We are IT service providers who specialize in helping businesses with their backup data needs. We’ll work with you to create a plan that fits your budget and conditions and provide ongoing support to ensure your data is always safe.

4 Core Benefits of Cloud Backup for SaaS Platforms

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As your business grows, you may need to keep up with changing technology. According to a study by Gartner, many organizations are turning to cloud-based solutions to stay ahead of the curve. *

However, these organizations may need to realize how important it is to have a backup for their data. Retrieving lost or deleted data can be difficult—or even impossible without a backup.

You don’t want to be in a situation where you discover data is gone, and when you attempt to retrieve it from the cloud, you find out that it has not been backed up in months.

Cloud backup is a vital tool for any business that relies on cloud-based solutions. In this post, we’ll look at cloud backup’s core benefits so you can see why it’s such an essential part of your business plan.

There are several benefits to cloud backup.

Although cloud backups can benefit you in a variety of ways, the four most important ones are:

Security
When it comes to data security, you can always be careful. Losing important data can devastate your business, so you must have a reliable backup solution.


Cloud backup is the perfect solution for keeping your data safe and accessible. With cloud backup, your data is stored off-site in a secure location. So even if something happens to your local copy, you can still access your data from anywhere with an internet connection.


Cloud backup is key to the success of your data security strategy, so if you still need to implement it, now is the time.
Scalability
Data growth is an inevitable part of business expansion – but it doesn’t have to be a headache. You can keep your data organized and under control with the right tools. In addition, cloud backup solutions are scalable and can easily adjust to your changing needs. As a result, you never have to worry about outgrowing your backup solution or making a substantial investment in hardware.

Cloud backup can easily adjust to your changing needs. As a result, you never have to worry about outgrowing your backup solution—it will always be able to grow with you.

Manageability
The term “manageability” is often associated with backup systems. But what does it mean? And how can it benefit your organization? Here’s a quick overview.

Manageability refers to operating and monitoring your backup system from a single location. As a result, it is easy to check your backup’s status, identify any issues, and make changes as needed.

Manageability can also help you automate backups and restore only the data you need. This flexibility can save you time and resources.

Recoverability
There are many benefits of cloud backup, but recoverability is vital.

In the event of data loss, cloud backup can help you quickly and easily get your data back. This way, you can avoid costly downtime and lost productivity.

Cloud backup should be at the top of your list when choosing a dependable backup solution for your business. It will help keep your data safe and keep your business running smoothly.

An IT service provider can help

Are you using cloud-based solutions? You should have a good backup in place. We can help you figure out the best backup solution for your needs and get it up and running. Plus, we’ll make sure it continues to work correctly over time. Contact us today to schedule a no-obligation consultation.

99 Problems & Cloud Backup Isn’t 1

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There are many benefits to using cloud backup services.

Losing critical business data can be a massive headache. Not only does it cost valuable time and money to fix, but it can also be a significant pain to deal with when you have other pressing business matters. There are many reasons why data loss can occur, such as hardware damage, software malfunctions, and natural disasters, but the most common cause is human error.

That’s why having a solid backup strategy in place is so important. By regularly backing up your business’ crucial information, you can protect yourself from the potentially devastating effects of losing everything.

Why not start creating a reliable backup plan today – it could be the most important thing you do for your business.

Here are four of the biggest pros:

It’s cheaper to rely on cloud backup than to build and maintain an in-house backup method
Cloud backup is becoming increasingly popular for several reasons, but the cost is one of the most compelling. With subscription-based cloud backup services, you pay a monthly or annual fee for a certain amount of storage. Therefore, deciding on a partner for these services can be much cheaper than building and maintaining your internal physical backup infrastructure.

Additionally, since cloud backup is often pay-as-you-go, you’ll only ever pay for the storage that you use. And in many cases, you can get discounts on cloud backup services by signing up for a long-term contract.

Cloud backup is scalable and can grow with you
An organization’s data requirements increase proportionally with its size. A traditional on-site backup solution can become severely strained in this situation, requiring the purchase, and set up of extra hardware or the deletion of existing data to make space for new.

In contrast, a cloud backup solution makes it easy to add more storage space when needed without worrying about running out of room. In addition, it keeps your backup current and minimizes stress levels.

Cloud backups are generally more secure against ransomware attacks
As ransomware attacks become more common, businesses scramble to improve their security measures. One area of focus is data backup. Some organizations are moving their backups to the cloud to take advantage of the increased security that cloud providers offer.

There is no doubt that cloud backups are more secure than on-premises backups. Cloud backup providers have numerous security measures to protect data and constantly work to improve their defenses against new threats. Additionally, cloud backups are often stored in multiple locations, making it much more difficult for attackers to delete or encrypt all backup copies.

Although cloud backups are more secure, you should still take steps to protect your data. For example, cloud backups are not immune to attack, and you should encrypt backups and restrict unauthorized access.

Data backed up in the cloud is accessible from anywhere
Cloud backup is the future of data storage for several reasons. Most importantly, it allows you to access your data from anywhere, which is a significant advantage for businesses whose employees work remotely.

Another advantage of cloud backup is that it is more secure than traditional methods like storing data on a hard drive. Cloud backup also makes it easy to share data with others for collaboration purposes.

There is no doubt that cloud backup is the future of data storage. It’s more secure and accessible than traditional methods, making it an excellent way to ensure your data is always available when you need it.

Join hands for success

s a business, it’s crucial to have a robust cloud backup and disaster recovery plan in place – especially now that many applications and services are in the cloud. However, creating and maintaining such a plan can be daunting without help from an IT service provider.

At Istonish, we have the expertise and experience to guide you through backing up your data in the cloud, ensuring that your business is ready for anything.