Resource Center
When it comes to IT services, knowledge is power. The single most valuable thing we can pass along to our clients is our expertise.
The resources below are here for you. Please help yourself, absolutely no strings attached.
Whitepapers
Videos
Brochure
Ebooks
Info Sheets
Insider 94 Navigator 2023
Resources & Advisors for Buying & Selling a Business
Make sure to check out Page 28
Case Study – Healthcare – Skyway Behavioral Health
Start Up Requiring Robust Infrastructure – From Planning to Implementation
The 7 Irresistible Qualities of Cloud ERP
Learn why ERP tools are an critical component for many businesses.
Why a Business Continuity Plan is Essential
Learn why your company needs a business continuity plan.
Ransomware 101
If you’re looking for ways to stop ransomware dead in its tracks, the experts at CCS Technology are here to help.
How managed services make the difference
Learn more about the benefits of partnering with a managed services provider.
Cloud Services and the SMB Revolution
Learn more about how Cloud Services from CCS make your life easier.
Office 365 Migration Made Easy
Migrating over to Office 365 has never been easier with CCS Technology.
The Advantages of Working with I.T. Pros
Learn how working with a seasoned technology pro makes your work easier.
Closing Common Cybersecurity Holes
Learn several critical cybersecurity tips and tricks any SMB can use.
Providing technology support all around
Backup and Disaster Recovery
Cloud Services, to make your life easier
IT Consulting
Managed Services
Network Security
CCS Technologies company brochure
Learn more about the benefits of partnering with a managed services provider.
- Learn more about the benefits of partnering with a manged services provider.
- Learn more about the benefits of partnering with a manged services provider.
Our Services
We’re passionate about two things: keeping you ahead of the curve and delivering an unbelievable client experience. This is how we do it.
IT Benefits and Threats – A Quick Guide to Being Prepared
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsTechnology is changing at a rapid pace and technology threats are coming fast and furious.
How well is your company doing to keep up with these changes and challenges – especially the threats that you don’t even know about yet? Some threats to your IT well-being are simply failures to identify the warning signs. Other threats are more severe. You may already have malware inside your IT system and you may not even know it.
For example:
Even if you are a small business, your IT network is the lifeblood of your business. It’s not recommended to put your network in the hands of an employee who has had to learn how to add users or change passwords. The safety and security of your network is at risk.
Even if you have an IT team maintaining your systems, when is the last time they did a training session? Six months ago? 2 years ago? Can’t remember?
Because the technology and the risks are changing constantly, IT people need regular training on security, networking, server operations, desktop operations, software, etc. Very few IT people have the capability of absorbing and mastering all of the different specialties. Just like you don’t expect a foot doctor to perform brain surgery, you don’t hire a desktop person to secure your network.
There is a Better Way
Consider using a Managed Services Partner (MSP). There are many benefits:
At first glance, an all-inclusive MSP agreement looks expensive. However, consider what you already pay for less service, the costs for your IT system to be down for one day – or three days and the expense to fix what is broken. And, if you get breached, the costs will multiply.
A fixed fee, all-inclusive MSP agreement is friendly to your budget and it provides peace of mind. You have a knowledgeable IT partner making sure your IT assets are healthy and protected.
At CCS, we don’t want to benefit from your business pain. We want to share in your increased productivity, profitability and your success. If you are looking for an IT partner and not just the low-cost computer fixer, check out our website.
In the meantime, check out our latest video below (1 minute, 17 seconds) for a quick look at the benefits of finding the right managed service partner.
Are You Happy With The ROI of Your Information Technology Person/Team/Provider?
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsOne of our clients (for the sake of privacy we’ll call them Acme Distribution) started with a “break-fix” IT strategy. Acme had computer equipment, a network and some knowledge about how to fix simple issues (resetting passwords, adding a user, etc.).
However, when more complex issues came up (e-mail not working, printers not printing, hardware failures, viruses and network issues), Acme paid service providers to fix those issues. Some months the cost was minimal. Some months the cost was tens of thousands of dollars.
One month a relatively new computer virus cost the company $28,000 because all but a few computers were infected, including their server. Their systems were down for 3 days and only partially working for 3 more days. The costs of system downtime, lost productivity and customer dissatisfaction was in addition to the $28,000 in fees paid to fix the problem. Acme estimated their total cost for this incident was more than $70,000.
There is a Better Way– But Beware!
Acme wanted to find a way for their IT expenses to be stable and predictable. They looked into managed services contracts. They interviewed three companies and entered into an agreement with a provider at what they thought was a reasonable price.
Unfortunately, what they found out was that managed services providers provide two levels of service. In the fine print of their agreement, they discovered they had entered into a network “monitoring” agreement.
Acme’s provider “monitored” their network and provided support up to five hours per month. In the third month of their agreement, after a problem that involved both hardware and a network problem, Acme received an invoice for $18,134 for support above and beyond their “fixed price” agreement.
Beware of the low-priced managed services “monitoring” agreement.
In the following few months, Acme considered hiring two IT employees because they believed it might be less expensive than paying an outside provider. However, they soon realized that their internal solution would be expensive and limited to the knowledge of their two IT employees.
Acme’s CFO attended a webinar about managed services agreements that were truly flat fee, no-surprises agreements. He asked for a proposal and experienced sticker shock when reviewing the proposal. The agreement included everything including hardware replacement for a flat monthly fee – guaranteed.
As he read the proposal, he was shocked to discover that the network assessment done on their IT systems by the professional level managed services provider showed:
• Out of date virus software
• a Trojan horse virus that had given hackers remote access to their accounting system.
• 4 viruses (not yet active) that got into the network by employees copying files from flash drives
• Three network hard drives that were sending alerts about their imminent failure (all at least five years old)
• a cloud-backup solution that had stopped working
If there was any good news, Acme was lucky their system had not (yet) been attacked by ransomware. Ransomware locks and encrypts the company’s data and then demands payment to unlock and decrypt the data.
In the end, after adding up all the costs, lost productivity, risks and likely future issues/costs, Acme found that an all-inclusive, flat fee professional level managed services agreement was far less expensive than any other solution. In addition, it’s a much better solution than relying on the current knowledge of two IT employees with limited knowledge.
Consider your options:
• With “break-fix” agreements, you get low cost, but you take all the risks
• With a “monitoring” agreement, it’s no different than the CHECK ENGINE light on your car’s dashboard
• When you consider:
o the risks, potential downtime, data loss and lost productivity
o along with the assurance that you IT system is always protected and up to date
o AND the peace of mind you’ll have instead of wondering what will go wrong next
a fixed price, no surprises managed services agreement is probably the most cost effective route to go.
If you’re interested in exploring your options, contact us. We would be happy to help.
Natural Disasters and Data Recovery Plans
/in Blog /by Chris HigginsWe don’t want to think about possible negative situations when it comes to our lives or our businesses. Planning for disasters means that we’re able to quickly recover from their consequences. In our previous blogs on data disaster recovery, we’ve covered how to plan for disasters and what types of disasters to consider when writing a data recovery plan. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the main points as a refresher.
The key elements of data recovery plans
A good disaster recovery plan will have assigned roles and responsibilities to different team members in advance. Planning ahead should ensure there is no time wasted when a disaster occurs. Having clearly defined roles means that team members can get on with their tasks quickly to mitigate the effects of a disaster.
Another important point is the identification of which assets are critical to operating the business. In a disaster, you need to know which things to protect and sort out first to enable business operations to continue. If someone spends too much time dealing with a puddle on the floor instead of dealing with customer calls, for example, your business could be in turmoil.
Backing up data is a must for every business. You’re on a dangerous path if you don’t have a plan in place for regular data backups. After all, you can’t recover your data after a disaster if you haven’t backed it up. Businesses must also consider whether they need to back up their IT infrastructure using a ‘cold site’ (a basic version of their infrastructure off-premises) or a ‘hot site’ (up-to-date data backups). As you can guess, the more data you back up, the better off you’ll be.
Types of disasters to plan for
It’s difficult to plan for any eventuality; however, there are certain things that all businesses should consider.
Disasters can include technological disasters like:
• Data breaches
• Hacking
• Ransomware
Or natural disasters like:
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis
• Volcanoes
• Flooding
• Tornados
• Pandemics
The impacts of any of these disasters are huge. Essentially, they can result in a business completely folding. Depending on the type of disaster, there could be all sorts of consequences. For example, the loss of supply chains, loss of assets and buildings, loss of life or personnel, and the loss of data. Since these consequences can be disastrous, it’s important for all businesses, regardless of size, to have contingency plans for disasters.
Planning for disasters
Businesses need to have contingency plans for dealing with disasters of every possible type. Different companies will, of course, have different needs. However, some things are necessary for all businesses to include in their data recovery strategy plan. These include data, insurance, finances, resources, personnel, technology, compliance requirements, and the supply chain.
Types of disaster data recovery
There are a variety of options when it comes to data recovery. Perhaps the simplest method is backup. Your data is stored on or off-premises, or both for extra safety. However, relying solely on data backup gives minimal protection for businesses. If there is no backup of the IT infrastructure as well, there could be even bigger issues.
An effective data recovery plan needs strategies and procedures for backups. You should know who will perform the backups and how often they will be done. Those responsible for data backups must also work out the business’s recovery time. Calculate the amount of time the organization can be ‘down’ after a disaster and work from there.
The data recovery strategy should be tested and updated continually to protect the business from new threats. In this way, the business will be able to navigate challenges successfully. Planning a response to a cyberattack ahead of time will make sure your team will know what to do.
Final thoughts
Whatever your business and size, the ultimate aim is to ensure you’re well protected and have plans in place for any type of disaster. If you’re struggling to finalize your plans or even start writing one, get in touch with us for a free consultation.