Small and medium-sized businesses need affordable access to enterprise-level server backup solutions. Historically, affordable backup solutions were limited to only backing up specific folders and files locally or in the cloud. Many traditional backup solutions do not backup servers and failto provide disaster recovery and business continuity solutions. All Covered believes that all businesses, regardless of size, should have access to an affordable, complete backup solution—that’s why we offer All Covered Backup for Servers.

Cloud backups, in general

At the most basic level, cloud backups are nothing more complicated than online storage space for your business’s data.Basic cloud backup is not a bad choice if all your business needs is a second copy of data stored somewhere else, but if your business needs anything more sophisticated than that, chances are that it needs a comprehensive server backup solution.

All Covered Backup for Servers is different

All Covered Backup for Servers is a complete backup solution that takes advantage of cloud technologies.All Covered Backup for Servers allows your business to replicate entire servers to our secure All Covered Data Center, and then if needed, restore anything from an email or document to an entire server.All Covered Backup for Servers is more than a product, it’s a solution. All Covered Backup for Servers offers these features:

• Setup, support, monitoring - All Covered will install and configure a data replication appliance that can back up multiple servers simultaneously. Once that is done, we will test backups to ensure data integrity.After setup is completewe will continue to support your business by fine tuning the backup sets to ensure that they always meet your data protection needs. As part of our service we will monitor the entire backup process to ensure that your servers are always backed up.
• Local backups - As part of the backup process, data will replicate to a local appliance in real timebefore it is replicated in our All Covered Data Center.In the event that a document is deleted from a primary server, you can restore the document from the local server image.
• Local continuity - In the event that one or more of your local servers fails, the local replication appliance can virtualize stored server images and temporarily operate as a virtual server for up to three machines.
• Cloud continuity - In the event that any of your backed up servers fail, the replication appliance will allow youto temporarilyvirtualize up to eight servers simultaneously, based on the most recent images that were backed up our All Covered Data Center.

Suitable for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

In addition to backing up your business’s servers, All Covered Backup for Servers can help your business meet its disaster recovery and business continuity plan requirements. All Covered will back up your servers to our All Covered Datacenter which is:

• Secure
• Housed on US soil
• SAS 70 Type II compliant
• Supported in the US

Learn more

All Covered Backup for Servers is suitable for most small and medium-sized businesses. To learn more about how All Covered Backup for Servers can help your business, please contact All Covered.

Data classification is the act of triaging your company’s digitally stored information and assigning the different documents to categories based upon the level of risk your company would be exposed to in the event that any specific document was compromised through unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

The break down

Data can be broken down into four categories. In addition to identifying the risk levels of your company’s stored digital information, data classification can also help your company determine how to react in the event that any piece of data was exposed. The data types in order of least to greatest risk level are as follows:

1. Private

Data whose unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction would likely result in only a minimal level of risk to your company should be classified as “private.” Examples of private data include internal SOPs, HR policies, and other internal communications. Data that is suitable for being considered private should meet the following criteria:

• Data is not explicitly assigned to another risk classification.
• Data is not intended for use outside of your company.
• Data contains personal information and is generally related to a specific conversation or communication between two people.

2. Sensitive

Data whose unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction could result in a moderate level of risk to your company or business partners should be identified as “sensitive.” Examples of sensitive data include—but are not limited to—business plans, corporate risk assessments, network assessments, and business continuity plans. Data that meets the following criteria should be classified as sensitive:

• Data is not appropriate for public exposure.
• Data contains IT network information such as server and router configurations.
• Data, if exposed, could necessitate the modification of business operations or application and system configurations.

3. Confidential

Data whose unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction could result in a high level of risk to your business, business partners, or clients should be classified as “confidential.” Typically, confidential data types include—but are not limited to—data that contains passwords, financial data, and personally identifiable HR data. Data that meets the following criteria should be treated as confidential data:

• Data is only for designated personnel within your corporation.
• Data is for a specific individual that is a business partner or client of your company.
• Data is sensitive enough to require encryption.

4. Restricted

Data whose unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction will cause a significant level of risk to your corporation, business partners, and clients should always be classified as “restricted.” Restricted data types include—but are not limited to—data that is protected by state or federal privacy regulations and data that is protected by confidentiality agreements. The highest level of security controls should be applied to restricted data. Data that meets the following criteria should be classified as restricted:
- Data is only for designated personnel.
- Data is regulated or legally sensitive.
- Data requires encryption.

Learn more

Depending upon your business’s particular needs, data classification can be as simple as applying a naming scheme to document titles or as complex as creating a comprehensive program that requires different levels of security clearance and credentials to access documents. Of course, most companies’ data classifications needs fall somewhere in between. To learn more about how data classification will help protect your company’s data, please contact All Covered.

As companies gain ground in their chosen market or business segment, their needs in terms of equipment, technology, and tools to deliver the results required by clients will grow at a very fast pace. This can weigh heavily on IT support teams, especially considering the current economic environment where businesses are forced to find ways to cut costs and improve their bottom-line.

This holds true whether you’re running a large enterprise or a small business, especially with the skyrocketing price of new hardware and software. Fortunately, as the economy starts to move forward, SMBs stand to be in a favorable position. thanks to the flexibility of a relatively smaller employee base. Here are a few cost-efficient, best IT practices SMBs can adopt to lessen their IT costs.

Evaluate Existing IT Assets

Before an IT department can find ways to minimize costs in the workplace, a thorough evaluation of all your company’s IT assets must first be conducted. The evaluation should include all the computers, electronic devices, and software being used – both in-premises, on the field, or in mobile offices. In the process, several details should be specified, including:

• The current working condition of IT hardware and other equipment. Repairs, part replacements and modifications need to be tracked in order to help determine the cost of maintaining hardware, especially if certain equipment are at end-of-life (EOL) or have already been phased out by the manufacturers.
• The versions of the software and applications being used, as well as the date of the most recent update. Companies should also be aware of license expiration dates, and customizations applied on the software.
• The individual workers across various departments, and the specific hardware and software they need to complete their tasks. An audit of the various permissions and restrictions implemented across the enterprise should also be conducted.

Maximize Refresh Cycles and Expansions

By gaining a clear idea about your company’s current IT situation, you’ll be able to define a more effective IT strategy that best suits your organization’s needs. It will help you pinpoint where most of your spending being funneled, and find underutilized assets you can use to address your needs. IT services can easily integrate these changes during hardware refresh cycles and company expansions to help enhance your business and IT strategies. By doing so, you can to find ways and alternatives to cut down purchases, make sound IT investments, and streamline day-to-day operations. And while you’re at it, you can have your technicians run diagnostics, repairs and modifications to your infrastructure to take advantage of the tech adoption process.

Establish a Paperless Environment

While many offices these days still require hard copies of their reports, receipts, and other collateral documentation, establishing a paperless workplace can prove to be quite a cost-efficient route for SMBs. E-mail, VoIP, real-time collaboration tools, and fax-to-PC features can replace traditional paper-based documents and communications. You can also start developing and issuing virtual receipts, e-tickets and e-mail attached quotes to your customers. Hard copies should only be printed when absolutely necessary or upon client requests. When implementing a paperless office strategy, it’s best to:

• Choose energy efficient printers built for businesses. They must offer great toner mileage and are optimized to produce clear prints even for “draft” mode.
• Have your IT group network your printers for multiple users. This can streamline the printing process and lessen the overall cost of hardware and consumables such as toner and paper, as well as lower energy costs. Having a consolidated printing system will also make it easier for your IT support team to maintain and manage printer hardware.

New technologies and practices are invigorating the way businesses run, despite the economic crunch. By leveraging IT outsourcing companies such as All Covered, businesses can devise highly efficient and cost-effectives solutions and strategies that maximize IT budgets, and provide a competitive edge. Get started on slashing your IT costs by call All Covered at 866-446-1133 or by visiting www.allcovered.com.

Laptop theft is one of the most common forms of data-geared crimes in the corporate world. Many tech-savvy criminals have evolved from being petty thieves aiming to cash in on the sale of stolen computer hardware, to sophisticated data miners bent on exploiting IT companies’ proprietary information from laptop computer hard disks and portable data storage units.

The effects of having a laptop stolen can range from being a merely inconvenience due to lost employee productivity, to major security breaches with grave repercussions, such as potential network hacking from cybercriminals, the exposure of customers’ personal information, and the theft of proprietary corporate data.

So whether employees are on the road operating under a mobile office scheme or safely tucked within the confines of their office cubicles, IT companies should never underestimate the dangers of laptop loss or theft. Here are a few tips on how you can prevent thieves from preying on your employees’ mobile computers.

Bolt Your Laptop Down

Most, if not all, laptops have lock slots included in their design. Using computer locks to physically secure a laptop to a docking station or a work desk is your first line of defense against burglars. Brands such as Kensington, Tryten and Targus, among many others, offer a wide selection of locks that range from the simple key-based ones to those with number combinations. Your IT support team can also utilize other devices such as the

LAlarm Laptop Alarm, or the motion sensor-equipped Doberman Security Laptop Defender SE-0210.

Use an Inconspicuous Case and Hold On to It

When traveling, make sure that you’re always in physical contact with your laptop (secured inside a carrying case) at all times. Many laptops often manage to disappear in airports, hotel lobbies and restaurants because their owners had to put them down for “just a minute.” Also, choose unobtrusive-looking carrying cases to make sure they don’t attract attention, such as those inconspicuous black backpacks geared for business travelers, for instance. Not only are they more comfortable to carry, these can help minimize the visibility of your equipment to thieves.

Implement Good Password Practices

Safe computing practices dictate the use of passwords on all computers. Naturally, you’d have the standard login credentials for logging into your profile, but it’s best to also set a boot password to prevent unauthorized people from gaining access even before the operating system loads. Just make sure to implement good password practices when setting up your boot password, such as using a random sequence of characters instead of actual words, and not using the same password for accounts.

Regularly Back Up Your Data

Large companies, small and medium-sized businesses should draft and employ an effective data disaster prevention plan with regular backups at its core. You can make use of external storage devices to manually backup your drives yourself, or utilize any of a variety of data backup solutions, whether locally, or remotely stored. In the unfortunate event of laptop theft, this will ensure that mission critical projects and data won’t be lost. In which case, your IT service team can simply inform your backup service provider to temporarily freeze all backup updates until a proper laptop recovery plan is put into place.

By implementing these good security practices, you can minimize and possibly even prevent the possibility of laptop and data theft. After all, securing your business’ data and hardware assets should be one of your top priorities.

Visit the All Covered Web site at www.allcovered.com or call our IT experts at 866-466-1133 to learn more about the importance of data security inside and outside the workplace, and how we can help you protect your data and infrastructure.

IT security is undoubtedly one of the biggest concerns in any business. Whether it’s your common Web-based malware threats or one of those attacks that come by way of hardware connections, these threats are always at the ready, waiting to jump in and wreak havoc across IT companies’ data infrastructure.

Last year alone proved to be the worst for standalone PC security, with the most malware published compared to the last 20 years combined. The fact that these attacks are constantly evolving raises the threat level even higher.

Fortunately, we have a wide selection of solutions that can serve as the first line of defense against these attacks—from your native PC-based software solutions, to the security measures that reside within the network itself. Unfortunately though, the amount of newer security attacks is rising, and if the past few years are any indication, it looks like they’re not slowing down one bit.

This is naturally alarming for any business, and so IT support groups must arm themselves with security solutions that are not only robust and scalable, but also feature-rich enough to adapt to newer malware technologies.

While it’s adequate for most organizations to implement base level antivirus applications, small and medium-sized businesses must leverage on multilayered solutions. This means having to utilize an entire security suite with a diverse array of technologies to prevent these malicious attacks. Here’s a quick guide to help you gauge your needs and find the right security suite to thwart the threats before they cause any harm.

Compatibility

Compatibility is perhaps one of the major reasons why users opt to disable included features in a security product or uninstall the suite entirely. And this goes for both the software and hardware components, especially in a multi-platform working environment.

Perhaps the antivirus is blocking the features your employees need from their proprietary office applications, or maybe the firewall is stopping important capabilities mid-transfer within the network. Additionally, products separately procured may not actually work with each other and can even cause a feature lockout, which pretty much creates more headaches for your IT services department.

To prevent these from happening, look into compatibility issues and test your software options even before a large-scale roll-out. List down the server, computers and other devices in your workplace that need to hook up to your network. Also, carefully specify their operating systems, the work-related applications each employee needs to run, and the hardware specifications. Details like hard drive capacities, processor speeds and memory modules installed are also crucial. Comparing this list with the system requirements the security suite or standalone products you intend to purchase can help you determine which ones would be ideal for your office setup.

Customizations

While most security suites have their features all lined up for your consideration, your IT support department should be able to pinpoint the restrictions each solution has. After all, technology of any kind does not guarantee a one-size-fits-all solution, so it’s best to consider both the limits each product implementation entails and the customizations they offer.

Customizations come by way of leveraging on the readily-available options within the settings and individual features to get what you need. Sometimes, you can even contact the vendor or developer and have a certain feature of the software tailor-made for your business.

Proprietary Suite vs Standalone Products

If you’re in the market for security solutions, you can either secure for your company an entire suite of interconnected applications, or you can purchase what you need from the different developers a la carte. Both have their own pros and cons, which you should carefully review and align with both your IT service’s existing security policies and your data disaster prevention plans.

For instance, employing a suite may answer your security needs with the ease of use that comes from direct integration between applications operating under one user interface. But since you are utilizing an all-in-one solution, you may be paying for one or more features that are unnecessary for your needs or your nature of business. On the other hand, standalone products may prove robust to directly counter specific threats. However, the IT support team will have to contend with multiple software license agreements, each with their own restrictions like price differences, software compatibility issues and usage limitations.

Price

While IT companies are indeed aware of the risks they face during work hours, security has been one of many unfortunate targets of many budget cuts since the start of the financial decline. This notion, thankfully, is slowly seeing a significant change. And so, there has to be a good feature-price balance to make the purchase a lot more compelling.

Line up your security suite options, and carefully consider their different prices, features and the benefits each one would bring to the table. A good security suite would include strong sub-elements like an antivirus, a firewall, an Internet security application and an anti-spyware, among many others. Always get quotes from each security vendor that outlines your intended number of users to make comparisons easier.

As one of the major issues within the workplace, security should never be taken lightly. It’s a necessary investment that protects you, your company and your precious data from malware attacks—Web-based or otherwise. Contact All Covered at 866-466-1133 to know more about IT security and the lineup of IT solutions and consulting services we offer for small and medium-sized businesses.

Whether it’s from malware attacks, natural hardware depreciation or data theft, IT companies and their huge amount of crucial corporate data are always at risk. It is for these reasons, that companies put antivirus suites into place and implement hefty levels of hardware and software-based security solutions.

However, among today’s threatening risks, data theft has got to be one the most destructive as it presents potentially irreparable damage to your company. The probability of it taking place escalates further when employees are operating within a mobile office or the confidential information needs to be taken to an off-site location.

We’ve all heard of horror stories of laptop thievery even in heavily secured locations like airports, hotel rooms, boardrooms, and, interestingly enough, even within the office premises. Compact storage devices like external hard disks and USB thumb drives are even easier to lose track of. These can lead to the exposure of proprietary data that can heavily affect both IT companies’ competitive edge and overall reputation.

The First Line of Encrypted Defense

And so security is beefed up even further with the office IT support team defining security policies by encryption. For these, Microsoft came up with its own secure encryption system for entire disk volumes called BitLocker Drive Encryption, geared expressly for the Ultimate and Enterprise Editions of Windows Vista.

Now with Windows 7, the encryption specifications are further expanded into BitLocker To Go to include removable storage devices as well. It mans the security layers of your external storage, providing a Fort Knox of encryption to protect your files. The contents of your portable storage can only be accessed using a password and without it, the entire storage device is deemed utterly worthless.

Naturally, you or anyone from your IT support arm can define the password and the recovery policies. You can also choose to have the drive automatically unlocked when plugged into specific computers. BitLocker also includes the BitLocker To go Reader utility on the your encrypted drive which automatically launches when you hook it up to a USB port on a machine running Vista or Windows XP.

Creating a Security-Aware Workplace

When you have already set up BitLocker To Go on your external storage devices, it’s important that you create and maintain a security-aware workplace.

Theft of a physical drive is merely one way data can be stolen. There are keyloggers that track password and figure keypresses and data mining Trojans Horses that can pass on from one unsecure drive to a laptop to network server. And, to top it off, these can spread undetected. It’s highly recommended that businesses, especially IT companies dealing with sensitive client data, enforce the strict use of protected drives.

Encrypt Before You Distribute

Most companies nowadays issue USB thumb drives or external hard disks for use among its employees, and it’s best to have them run through BitLocker To Go first before handing them to their intended users. Similarly, previously distributed drives should also get the Microsoft encryption treatment, and the importance of using only these drives for work, should be stressed.

For drives that already contain files: what you can do is create a backup on a PC for all its contents and while you run it through BitLocker, have your natively installed antivirus software suite take a gander at the files before you drag them back to the drive. This way, you can be sure both are clean and security is invigorated for re-use.

Possibilities of social engineering and hardware pilfering in any type of environment should never be underestimated with or even without chances of unscrupulous business competitors. So it’s always best to protect you and your data from these potential risks.

Contact All Covered at 866-466-1133 or point your Web browser to www.allcovered.com to get in touch with our experts to know more about how you can keep your sensitive data secure and for all your other IT consulting needs.

=Since small businesses joined large conglomerates in relegating their mission critical processes to data infrastructures, IT companies are always faced with the dangers that come with a network-based working environment. And that’s on a daily basis.

Disasters in the data center or in the physical server room are not unheard of, turning the IT support leg of any company into tireless workhorses which could have been prevented had there been proper data security policies or sturdy data backup and recovery solutions in place. And this is where IT consultants and their expertise are pulling in the muscle, by leveraging on data disaster plans that will definitely secure the continuous flow of productivity in the office.

As the risks grow exponentially, developing a remote offsite data backup plan has become crucial and a necessary investment. It will prevent downtimes, the loss of vital data and revenues and, eventually, potential damage to the overall business.

Assessing Your Needs

When creating a data disaster prevention plan, there are several factors the IT support department should consider and most of them depend on your business’ needs and overall data infrastructure. These include your nature of business and the risks and potential benefits you will have to face once a backup solution is in place, among others.

There are some companies that only use small-scale backup solutions like the use of external hard disk drives on USB hookups or maybe even decent PC-based backup applications and server storage; and these are enough for them. Others, on the other hand, require larger solutions that include third party data software suites and even remote data data center mirroring. Service oriented companies and businesses dealing with eCommerce fall bluntly in this category.

Remote Backups

Investing in data backup solutions are one of the best contingency plans your business can get on board with. In the data center, the word “redundancy” is one word that often gets bounced around and it should be part of your data disaster plan’s prevention checklists.

This means that while your gigabytes (or most likely, terabytes) of data are stored and backed up locally, it’s important to have another copy mirrored remotely on a data center on a different location. This is one backup solution many large entities, especially IT companies and Web services, are utilizing to ensure their data’s constant availability. You can also use IT outsourcing services for your data to be safely backed up in a disaster-proof data center with an accompanying backup solution that can be accessed locally. This will save you from the potential headache should you encounter some unfortunate data loss later on.

Backup Frequency

An important question to ask when setting up your data disaster plan in place is “how often should I backup?” As a general rule, backups are usually performed during weekends as they usually take up several hours to an afternoon or even an entire day to accomplish depending on the size of your library of data and your network connection’s speed. A day’s worth of backup time would ideally be the extent for IT companies running a 24/7 operation, on the other hand. The succeeding data backups will most probably take far lesser time to complete.

As a side note, while a backup is in the works, many IT service teams take the opportunity to do hardware refreshes and perform routine diagnostics. And it is recommended that you do to make sure there really is no downtime even from the technical aspect.

Data backup and recovery is crucial element in any given business to ensure both the productivity and the security of a company’s data infrastructure. Contact All Covered to learn more about it to help you find the perfect solution for your company. Just call us at 866-446-1133; our IT experts are always at the ready to help you with your IT consulting needs.

Electronic mail is an indispensable business tool that facilitates businesses to proficiently be in touch – both internally throughout the entire organization and externally with clients, consumers, and associates. However, unguarded email stored on devices and servers or sent transversely over the Internet in clear text poses a critical risk to an organization’s most sensitive data: legally sheltered information such as customer records as well as classified company information such as financial and intellectual property data. Disclosure of this information to illicit parties may propose unwanted results such as brand name damage, monetary loss and legal consequences.

Some of the pre-existing threats are computer viruses, spam, adware and spyware. A computer virus, in general, is a diminutive file that is sometimes attached in an email or a file download which can do number of things to your computer. One immediate effect that most viruses do is directly go through to the host’s address book and multiplies by accessing through the contact’s emails.

On the other hand, adware and spyware are small files attached to some programs that have been downloaded, with or without the host’s awareness. Basically, these programs do not spoil the computer. Rather, it installs software that steals information on your computer, giving spyware companies access to private account information and passwords.

There are a few practices that help safeguard a company’s emails. Some of them are:

• Avoid opening anonymous attachments
• Purchasing virus protection that is activated and up to date
• Get an adware and spyware removal software
• Staying away from spam or unsolicited emails which may have adware and spyware
• The use of an Internet firewall.
• Keeping files of important information on zip disk, writeable CD, tape, another hard disk or any other form of external storage.

One of the suggested measures in securing data confidentiality and compliance related record sent through email is the utilization of email protection. Email protection is a service that facilitates in keeping business email addresses free of spam and viruses. It specifically intends to save time lost in separating junk email and helps safeguard computer from viruses enclosed within emails. Email security is an increasing worry among organizations due to the esteem of its form and function for communications. Many companies and organizations are taking extra measures for securing electronic messages to guarantee the authenticity and privacy of email messaging.

In addition, not all antivirus tools are identical. There are several factors that must be included in preparation to generate IT security for an email security system in any large, medium, small business or organization:

• Encryption System – a free solution infrastructure that can be used to encrypt and decrypt email messages that control susceptible information.
• Content Security Software – the majority of organizations arrange content security software to guarantee that sensitive information will not be disclosed and sensitive substance is not exposed within the organization or sent outside of the organization by accident or on purpose.
• Reputable Antivirus Software – the most popular way in securing a virus- free environment is through installing reputable anti-virus software that can scan and detect all email attachments for possible threats.

Business email protection providers have compliance officers who can recognize what companies have to do in the area of electronic storage to abide by with regulations. The data protection concern looks tiresome but it is essential that it must be carefully prepared in order to protect data from outflows and fatalities. With these actions in place, there is a point of assurance that data is protected and not at risk.

All Covered can provide your business with safe, secure, virus-free email protection. You can also contact us by calling us at 866-446-1133 or visiting at www.allcovered.com.

Accessorize your smart phone with the right add-ons and make your phone work harder.  By adding a protective case and a set of headphones with a built in microphone to your phone, you can enjoy optimal functionality from your most frequently used personal technology tool.  Whether you use a BlackBerry, Android, iPhone, or other smart phone, manufacturers have the right accessories to meet your needs.

Identify your needs

Everyone uses their smart phones differently.  That means that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so consider the following when you select your accessories.

Protective case

• Make sure that the case will protect your phone from shock if it gets dropped.
• Be practical and don’t let the sales person sell you something that won’t meet your needs.  For instance, do you really think that you will go deep sea diving with your iPhone?  If that scenario is unlikely, then forgo the $300.00 water-resistant protective case.
• Consider how you will carry the phone and when you will be using it.  If it lives in your bag or on your desk, chances are that you don’t need a belt clip.  However, if you take your phone with you when you jog, or when you’re running around the office, you might find a belt clip useful.
• Research name brands and case styles.  Read reviews written by people that don’t have a vested interest in selling a specific product.  Check out cases from companies such as INCASE and BELKIN.

Headphones and microphone

Identify your phone usage style.  Do you mostly use your phone as an MP3 player, or is the phone constantly attached to your ear for back-to-back conference calls?  Or perhaps a combination of both?  The great news is that there are many different audio accessories to meet your needs.

• Bluetooth devices are wireless and make it easy to take phone calls when you are on the move.  While most Bluetooth devices are intended for phone use only, several Bluetooth models will also playback music.   Unfortunately, if you are an audiophile you might not be satisfied with the sound quality that most Bluetooth devices offer since current technology is unable to fully reproduce high fidelity audio signals.  Consider devices manufactured by ALIPH, PLANTRONICS, and SENNHEISER.
• Traditional over-ear headphones with inline microphones will give you the best surround sound experience and often have a noise-canceling feature that makes it easy to make phone calls and listen to music.  The drawback to over-ear headphones is that they are large to tote around when you aren’t using them.  Check models manufactured by BOSE and SENNHEISER.
• Ear buds with inline microphones are ideal for anyone that wants to have one device that will make phone calls and play music.  Most ear buds have a small button that will let you easily toggle back and forth between phone calls and music.  With the correct fit, ear buds are noise isolating.  Look for models manufactured by BOSE, KLIPSCH, SENNHEISER, and SHURE.

Learn more

Before you run out to buy accessories for your smart phone, consider your needs, do some research, and talk to the mobility experts at All Covered at 866-446-1133.

Almost every business today is connected to the Internet. This fact makes any company, large or small, a target for hackers, network attacks and malware. The biggest security threat to any company today is internal, and experts in the field suggest you protect your company by layering components in a full security strategy that includes technology, policies, procedures, and best practices.

The fact is that small businesses today face the same basic data protection challenges as large businesses. The dangers and potential costs of unprotected data can be catastrophic. Unfortunately, most of the time, <a href=”http://www.allcovered.com/business/”>small business IT</a> departments, if they have one, have far fewer resources to address the problem than larger businesses.

A multi-layered strategy is good for you

As branch offices proliferate and employees spend more time on the road or working from home, critical business data is being created and stored usually on a laptop or desktop away from the main office. According to an established IT research firm, most small businesses have less than four IT personnel and a storage budget of less than $50,000. In order to address data security threats and to ensure data protection, small businesses must first:

• Identify data loss vulnerability points, both electronic and paper-based
• Create and develop a data security policy. This should both protect all sensitive data and ensure its availability and restrict access.
• Communicate this data protection policy to customers as a strategy to strengthen the business–customer trust relationship. This also helps differentiate the company from competitors.
• Identify and deploy the right tools to protect sensitive data depending on their type of business.
• Know the steps to take if they believe to be a victim of a data compromise.

If you’re beginning your small business, it might be a good guess that your security strategy consists of simply a firewall and antivirus software. That may have been adequate several years ago, but a good security strategy should be multi-layered.

By layering security using complementary technologies, your small to mid-sized business IT services can address all of the threats it faces. For instance, firewalls and antivirus software may protect a company at the gateway, but they would be ineffective if an insider bypassed the gateway. E-mail and web filtering software would close this hole and add another layer to the security program. Intrusion detection and file monitoring solutions would also aid in detecting changes made to the system by malicious individuals.

Specific steps to implement layered security can vary between organizations, but a good place to start is with risk analysis. IT managers and (or in the case of small businesses without one) company owners need to take the following steps to establish the level of risk that their company faces:

• Identify the company’s network assets.
• Determine the value of each asset as well as the cost associated with its loss.
• Identify threats to each asset.
• Determine vulnerability to identified threats.
• Prioritize assets by level of importance.

Selecting your data protection provider

Needless to say, IT support is absolutely necessary for business data protection. It is highly recommended that you pick a company that truly understands the needs of a small business. The great thing today is that it is not necessary for IT technicians to be on site in order to service your IT network. This can be done remotely and has proven to work well.  IT support must be superb, because without great support the technologies used by a small company will be rendered useless; if it cannot be brought online immediately after a problem.

All Covered can assist you in determining the best security strategy for your company that minimizes the risks to your data, network and users. Contact us at 866-446-1133.