The need for fax services has frequently been the bane of existence for many small businesses (next to taxes, of course). Fax machines require an extra phone line, require constant maintenance and take up valuable office space—and many smaller companies don’t send or receive enough faxes to justify the expense and hassle. Thankfully, the emergence of online fax has resolved many of these issues for these companies.
While a hardware-based network security solution like SonicWall can be excellent for protecting your on-site systems, it might not be enough for businesses who work extensively in the cloud. For more comprehensive protection of your network (from cloud to endpoint), Fortinet has developed an integrated product line to protect your business from cyberattacks and hacking.
Despite the large number of companies and developers competing in the network security space these days, many businesses prefer to go with a brand they already know and trust. Cisco has been providing a wide range of IT products and solutions for many years, and its arsenal of cybersecurity products and services is at least as reliable as any in the marketplace.
Cloud-based computing and the Internet have certainly made life easier for businesses and individuals alike—but with that convenience comes a lurking threat of hacking and cyberattacks. Several recent ransomware attacks, affecting millions of users worldwide, have underscored the need for ongoing and constantly upgraded network security. The developers at SonicWall have created solutions that offer firewall protection for your entire IT network, helping guard against threats like these and others.
For many years, Microsoft has sought to be on the leading edge of cloud technology. Windows Server 2016, the latest generation of Microsoft Server Solutions, continues to be trendsetting, as it enables business owners to integrate their workflow seamlessly into cloud-based computing.
Businesses small and large are turning to virtualization as a way to expand computing power, by creating multiple virtual workspaces (or virtual machines—VMs) that share space on a single server. As we discussed in the previous section, these VMs are administrated by a software layer called a hypervisor. Similar to the rivalry between Mac and PC in hardware products, two hypervisor programs currently seek to dominate the market: Microsoft’s “Hyper-V” and VMware’s “VSphere.” Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s briefly explore them both.
Over the past several years, a computing process known as virtualization has revolutionized the IT industry–enabling companies to maximize hardware resources while saving on costs. Let’s discuss the concept of virtualization and how it can help small businesses improve their efficiency and cost effectiveness.
small businesses unfortunately choose to ignore this cardinal rule: Every hard drive fails. No exceptions. It’s not a matter of if, but of when. Parts wear out. Power surges happen. When a hard drive fails, all the data on it becomes jeopardized. For this reason alone, cloud backup services could serve as a lifeline for small businesses like yours.
Accessible via the Internet, cloud backup services create periodic secure backups of critical data on offsite servers. These servers are well-maintained and frequently exchanged to protect the data. If the business experiences a computer crash or an even greater catastrophe, the data remains safe and can be downloaded to new computers whenever needed.
Email has effectively become the communications bloodstream of business today. Messages endlessly travel back and forth between teammates, as well as between a company and its clients. Most companies need to access and share this data among teammates and across multiple devices–without clogging up everyone’s computer hard drives. The solution: Hosted exchange email, a centralized, cloud-based system by which email and other shared communications can be stored, retrieved and accessed across many devices and platforms.
If you have employees who require secure access to the same files, whether onsite or offsite, your business might benefit from cloud-based file servers. A file server is a separate dedicated computer that stores and manages data files that are accessed by other computers within your network. Once a solution mostly for larger companies, file servers were typically kept and maintained onsite, as part of an internal network. However, cloud-based solutions now make secure offsite file servers available for smaller businesses like yours.
