Catalyst IT-DID YOU KNOW

The Catalyst IT team is continuously learning and utilizing the latest advancements in information technology to keep our clients on the forefront of essential business processes. The following are some abbreviated articles on the happenings in our industry:

WAYS CYBER-CRIMINALS ATTACK YOUR NETWORK

According to a report by 4iQ, a cyber security analyst firm, from 2017 to 2019, there was a 424% increase in the number of attacks on small businesses. Another report survey by The Manifest, a business analyst firm, found that 64% of small businesses intended to put more time and money into their IT security in 2020.

Cyber-criminals love to go after small businesses because they make up 99.7% of all employers in the United States, so it makes sense. Hackers know that attacking small businesses can be worth the time and effort because they know they will eventually find a small business they can extort or steal from.

It all comes down to cyber security. If you have inferior network security or none at all, you’re a prize for hackers.The two major tactics that hackers use is Phishing Scams & Password Exploits.

For more information on how Catalyst IT can help protect you from Cyber-criminals go to our contact us page.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR TECHNOLOGIES FIRMWARE

When was the last time you checked if the firmware of your technology was up to date? If it has been a while, then you need to do so right away. This is because you might be using outdated firmware, doing so makes you vulnerable to data breaches and other cyber-attacks. 

Firmware is a basic type of software that is embedded into every piece of hardware. It controls the device it’s installed on, cannot be uninstalled or removed, and is only compatible with the make and model of the hardware it is installed on. When you buy a router and plug it in, its firmware allows it to connect devices to your wireless network with almost zero input from you. They come with default usernames and passwords which is a known vulnerability there could be other vulnerabilities that cyber-criminals could exploit.

Remember, routers are just one example of how firmware affects your cyber-security posture. Hard drives, motherboards, mice and keyboards need to be checked as well. We understand this can be extremely tedious, that’s why we highly recommend hiring an IT provider to take care of it for you.

For information on how Catalyst IT can make sure your firmware is up to date go to our contact us page.

How IT Management benefits small business

A Jan 2020 Article by BizTech states-Technology is more integral to the success of businesses than ever before. There are more ways to gather and analyze customer information, more efficient systems to track inventory and sales, and mobile devices to make it easy to connect from anywhere.

By looking outside the organization to IT Managed services, smaller businesses can get access to much needed tools while staying within their budgets. A survey found that 37 percent of small businesses that are currently outsourcing at least one process are outsourcing IT. The survey also found that the top reasons organizations outsource are to increase efficiency and to gain access to an expert. IT managed services can help businesses simplify collaboration by bridging the gaps between team tools, monitoring organizational systems and alerting the business when there’s an issue. Having outside experts available when needed can help small businesses grow without the budgetary burdens of extra staff or infrastructure. 

Many small businesses are already using some form of managed service. According to Spiceworks’ “2019 State of IT” report, organizations with fewer than 100 employees value outsourced IT for data storage and backups, communications, and hardware support.

Catalyst IT will help with your businesses infrastructure-go to our contact us page and ask for an assessment.

The cost to a business if the network is down

According  to a 2018 article by The 20- When your network or applications unexpectedly fail or crash, IT downtime can have a direct impact on your bottom line and ongoing business operations. In some extreme cases, data and monetary losses from unplanned outages can even cause a company to go out of business!

According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute. 

Did you know, according to a study by UC Irvine, that it often takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus and get your head back in the game after an interruption? Another article by the Washington Post states-interruptions consume, on average, 238 minutes per day. In addition, the time to get started back up after an interruption consumes another 84 minutes a day. The time lost to stress and fatigue steals another 50 minutes a day.

The truth is that no business is immune to the corrosive effects of downtime. Downtime is extremely expensive, and in ways can make or break the success of your organization. At the same time, it’s essentially unavoidable, because technology architectures are becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable.

If your concerned about your networks reliability, contact Catalyst IT….We Can Help!