Capstone Works Blog

Well sometimes we need to re-think our best practices and COVID-19 has forced us all to explore new ways to work, communicate, and manage.  We've been a Microsoft partner and Microsoft Teams user for many years now, but I underestimated how Microsoft Teams would be used to manage and lead a remote workforce in this uncertain world.

As we moved to a 100% remote workforce on March 9th, we did so with full confidence in our Business Continuity Plan, being able to maintain 100% of our service delivery without needing our physical office space.  But even I'm surprised at how well the team can communicate and deliver services from their homes!  With a combination of VoIP telephone, Microsoft Teams, and a VPN to our network, each team member can continue to engage and resolve client issues!  This includes handling proactive maintenance and communicating with clients via email, company desk phone, AND video calls/meetings. We've fully serving every need our Client's have encountered while navigating this new and exciting (OK scary) business situation.

This transition has I'm sure raised several though questions for you and your staff as well. However, we've found that we need access to 6 things to seamlessly work "together" while apart.

1. Well managed VoIP telephony - allowing for our phone tree to remain the same, outbound calls to come from our phone numbers, and provide a transparent Client experience.
2. A secure team virtual meeting tool, like Microsoft Teams, allowing for chat, file-sharing, face-to-face meetings, and collaboration.
3. Cloud services or VPN access to on-premise servers giving a remote work experience identical to being in the office.
4. Regular team "huddles" (daily all-hands check-ins) to chat, maintain interpersonal connections, and define priorities for each day.
5. Weekly public acknowledgment of individual contributions; we use a Microsoft Teams based peer review system and keep our eyes open for "great job" acknowledgments.
6. Metrics and performance KPIs to keep individual performance and contribution visible.

Your list may vary, but in combination with our culture and tools, we've found remote work to be more productive, more organized, and nearly as interactive as in-person work.  Many of these success factors depended heavily on technology.  Each of our clients faced similar but unique challenges in adjusting to a full or part-time remote workforce. An existing relationship with a prepared, forward-thinking Managed IT Service firm helped them be nimble and quickly react to changing conditions with little to no impact on overall productivity in the face of perhaps the biggest threat to all businesses in our community in my lifetime.  I'm proud of the accomplishments of my team, and the positive impact we've each had in assisting our many clients in navigating these waters of transition.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty about what lays ahead, one aspect of our future couldn't be more apparent: the remote workforce is here to stay. As states move to reopen portions of their economies, we all need to be prepared to move back and forth between a traditional office setting and a home office setting as the situation in our communities’ changes over time. It was always a matter of when - and not if, but social distancing measures have quickly made cloud computing solutions and mobile workstations essential technologies for every business. And with companies scrambling to implement massive operational changes with very little notice, the advantages of using Managed IT Services have never been clearer.

Managed IT helps businesses stay healthy

Currently, by helping companies implement the latest solutions in order to work remotely, Managed Service Providers (MSP) have assisted in slowing the spread of the virus by:

• creating completely mobile workforces that can relocate to the safest or most comfortable locations in order to stay in place for the long haul,
• allowing any infected employees to easily self-isolate while leaving their work accessible to other team members,
• mitigating the possibility that office buildings will be contamination zones when social distancing rules are eventually eased.

Managed IT helps businesses stay prepared

No business could have been able to anticipate the stark shift that was headed their way when the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the global economy. But companies with outsourced IT enjoy the ability to scale quickly and, even more crucial, determine what these changes will cost ahead of time. No need to panic if you need to add infrastructure or implement new technologies in a hurry; simply talk with your service provider and the process is in motion. At a time where uncertainty rules the day, this added flexibility is an unbelievable asset.

Managed IT helps businesses stay informed

Business leaders have a lot on their plates and no one can fault the CEO of a growing business for not being an expert on the latest advanced obfuscation techniques hackers are using, but when a company is suddenly forced to reorganize its entire operational workflow, it's imperative to have a dedicated team of experts making sure you're using the latest cybersecurity protections and are staying in compliance with relevant regulations like FISMA, HIPAA, or GDPR. Amid massive uncertainty, MSPs have enabled leaders to remain focused on the aspects of their business they know best, while still staying informed and up to date.

With businesses starting to open in the next few weeks or months, those companies that have been working with a Managed IT Service Provider will also undoubtedly be healthier, more flexible, and better prepared to face whatever challenges may lay ahead. With a holistic approach to IT services, MSPs like Capstone Works help businesses maintain a higher standard of IT preparedness than most companies would be able to achieve in-house. If you're looking for assistance with your IT issues, contact Capstone Works today.

Capstone Works is proud to announce the launch of our new website at https://www.capstoneworks.com. The goal of the new website is to make it easier for our existing clients to submit and manage support requests, and provide more information about our services for prospective clients.

Organizations today cannot successfully grow their business while neglecting their technology needs; though it is impossible to become an IT expert while remaining focused on your niche. The world of IT is constantly changing - from cloud computing, Big Data, mobility, the Internet of Things, and new data storage – options can be overwhelming for any SMB owner. Is it time for you to upgrade your data storage? Are you employing the best solution to fit your needs? As you evaluate your technology solutions, don’t forget about your data storage options.

IT disasters are devastating to the infrastructure of any organization.  In a modern office environment, IT is the hub of any type of business.  Disasters can disrupt IT processes to the point that businesses are significantly impacted.  When it comes to disaster recovery many firms believe they will never need a backup plan; convincing themselves that the likelihood of their organization being affected is minimal.  In reality, threats to your IT infrastructure are growing no matter what segment of the economy you operate within. 

2016 has been filled with news of cyberattacks and hacking. 

• In February the Central Bank of Bangladesh was the victim of a cyber-heist that resulted in $81 million in losses and another $850 million in halted transactions.
• In July, the Democratic National Committee’s email servers were breached.  The resulting leaked emails caused much embarrassment and lead to the resignations of some of the organizations key officials.
• In September, Yahoo announced that half a billion of its users’ accounts were hacked back in 2014 thus gaining access to names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of births, and in some cases, even security questions and answers.  This event alone exposed 500 million people to potential identity theft.
• In October, major websites went down due to a massive attack on one of the backbones of the internet; thus leaving Twitter, PayPal, Spotify and many businesses hosted by Amazon Web Services unable to function.
• Over Thanksgiving weekend, the San Francisco rail system was hacked allowing riders to ride for free while a hacker held the system hostage with the use of Ransomware.
• Most recently, Google announced that upwards of 1 million user accounts were compromised with the use of “Googlian” malware on Android-powered smartphones.  The company warns that 13,000 additional devices are being infected every day.

As we move further and further into the technological age, it is becoming more and more apparent that you must move your business at least partially into the cloud. But with all the cloud based services out there what is an SMB owner to do? With Capstone Works in your corner you can be sure that your migration to the cloud will be smooth. We are able to help you navigate those options to give you the best that the cloud has to offer without overpaying or not getting enough services. The two biggest players in the cloud computing market are Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Service (AWS). When considering AWS vs Microsoft Azure, it’s important to note that both companies began their approach from a different perspective. AWS has focused on providing commodity services to small and medium-sized companies, while Microsoft chose to focus on integrating on-premises technologies with their public cloud services. However, both companies have expanded their offerings which is why neither can be dismissed out of hand and both need a careful look before any decision is made. Once you decide to migrate some or all of your business to the cloud, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.

Your days are filled with making decisions that will guide your business into the future.  It is easy to put your IT needs on the backburner, but that will lead to days spent putting out IT fires rather than focusing on your growth.  In the 21st century technology is at the center of any business.  Your entire operation can grind to a halt due to one computer snag; costing you lost productivity and the potential for lost clients.  According to recent research by CompTIA, the proactive monitoring that a managed service provider offers, reduces your costs by 50% per downtime incident.  Outsourcing your IT needs to Capstone Works is the best way to ensure that your business is running smoothly.  We have the Enterprise level software applications to support your business as well as the wealth of knowledge of multiple IT professionals at your immediate disposal.

The FBI has issued alerts to all businesses about the spread of BEC scams.  One of the fastest growing hazards facing businesses today is the growth of Business Email Compromise or BEC scams.  According to the FBI, these scams have grown by more than 270% since the beginning of last year.  At their last reporting, more than 7,000 businesses have lost more than $1.2 billion in the last 2 years.  At Capstone Works we help you to manage your IT risks.  We are at the forefront of IT risk management; monitoring, assessing and evaluating threats to your network no matter where they may come from.  You can be confident knowing that Capstone Works is in your corner.  While these scams may, at first, seem less impressive than thefts perpetrated by sophisticated malware targeting banks and other large institutions; a BEC attack is, in reality, more vicious.  They are more versatile and can avoid the basic security steps taken by businesses and individuals.  Instead of simply targeting your machines, a BEC scam targets your people!  Criminals are convincing their victims to hand company money right over to them, and they have been very successful in doing so.  According to the FBI, “The scam has been reported in all 50 states and in 79 countries.  Fraudulent transfers have been reported going to 72 countries; however, the majority of the transfers are going to Asian banks located within China and Hong Kong.

Scientists have proven that lightsaber weapons are theoretically possible. The weapons have been used to devastating effect by the likes of Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. Perhaps one day they can also be wielded by your friendly IT service professional to help defend against Trade Federation loving Cryptolocker viruses or Sith Serving Identity Hackers! Scientists at Harvard and MIT have identified a way to bind photons together in a manner that would cause them to behave like the elegant weapons developed for a more civilized age from George Lucas’ Star Wars movies.

Running a business is a 365 day a year job. While you focus on running your business let Capstone Works bring you up to date on a few of the latest developments in information technology. In the 4th quarter of 2015, Microsoft launched Exchange Server 2016 and implemented updates to its Office 365 service and software suite. While both features improved security, there are several key differences, which are crucial to understand when making the appropriate choice for your business.

As of July 29, 2015, Microsoft launched Windows 10 for PCs and tablets, which is a free upgrade to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. According to Microsoft, Windows 10's features include:

It’s no secret that cloud computing is the future of computer and network care for businesses worldwide.  “The cloud” eliminates the need to have physical servers and hardware in your office. Cloud computing focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the company’s shared resources, as well as being effective in heightening companies’ day to day tasks with multiple users.  It is a highly efficient way to store your company’s data in one place at a flat monthly cost, as opposed to worry about the large capital investment of new network equipment on a regular basis.

Cybersecurity is one of the most important things to worry about when it comes to business IT operations. With the advent of the "Cryptolocker" and the other Ransomware viruses that have become prevalent since September 2013 the potential for loss is at an all-time high. Not only do these new ransomware viruses lock up the system, they also encrypt the files. This ensures that businesses pay even if the malware was deleted. So now you have to worry about the cost from downtime while locked up and the loss of critical data, as well as the additional cost of the "Ransom" the hackers demand to unlock them. The "Ransom" collected has been estimated to be in the tens of millions. Call us today at 512-343-8891 x2 to find out how to protect yourself and your business assets.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, has been a term of concern for the past few years for every healthcare provider and individual. Congress enacted HIPPA in 1996 to ensure the efficiency and standardization of healthcare as well as to enhance access to healthcare. What most business owners do not know is that HIPAA affects everyone. HIPAA affects those within education, non-profits, private practices, major corporations and even the government.

It was earlier this month that the database of America’s second largest health insurance company, Anthem, was cyber hacked. The hackers were able to gain over 80 million records, making this the largest data hack of any U.S. health insurance company. The breach included emails, birthdays, social security numbers, employment information as well as home addresses. The good news is that the hack did not pull financial information such as bank account and credit card numbers. The bad news is that Anthem customers are now subject to not only identity theft but tax fraud.

Great fun and fellowship at the Capstone Works Christmas Party! We had a culinary crawl with a brewery stop, dinner at a wonderful new restaurant, and a food trailer cheesecake for our dessert stop.  We took time to celebrate a great year together and refelct on the opportunities in the year ahead.

We've all been through an office or personal a move at some point in our lives. Whether to go to school, follow a career opportunity, or simply move to a new house, most everyone has experienced it. Moving a company, however, presents some unique challenges as the move must have minimal impact on your team's ability to serve clients or sell products. We'll discuss the range of considerations and actions you need to take to make your move surprise and hassle free. Some of the items on this list are so obvious they will require little discussion, but others are hidden landmines that can significantly affect your relationship with your vendors and clients.

Saving a little on your technology can go a long ways, but cutting too many corners can lead to additional problems and expensive downtime. Here are a few ways you can cut costs without creating long term issues.

Don't be Afraid to Replace

Got an older PC that's causing you a lot of issues? Older technology is typically more expensive to run, and after a while, it's cheaper to simply buy a new desktop than it is to continue pouring money into something that always seems broken. It's a great time to buy workstations, and if things are tight you can even buy refurbished desktops to keep costs low.

When you mention the term 'disaster recovery,' most people think about the big ground-shattering events like earthquakes, fires, floods, tropical storms, etc. While these natural events are certainly disasters and devastating in their own right, smaller things can constitute as a disaster for your business, and they aren't seasonal.