2018 SME trends – Cloud migration tops the list!

Has the Cloud question hit your business till now? If yes, then you might’ve already pondered a lot about the pros and cons of moving your business to the cloud. There are many ways to do this and there are many outfits like Dolphin 24x7 who can help you with migrating to the cloud. The drill is simple but it is the decision that weighs in as tough! While   the optimized cost may play as your biggest case when considering migration, control and security issues would tell you to hold back. Read on to find out how SMEs are considering this question in 2018.

Every business around the globe, no matter what size, relies on its IT infrastructure to support its operations. In most cases, the associated costs quickly spiral up and inflate beyond what most small businesses can afford. Cloud migration is like a ray of light for SMEs who find themselves stuck in the rut of infrastructure costs.But is Cloud the next best decision for your small business? Well, to answer that you have to consider pros and cons on a subjective level. Here’s our post breaking it down for you. If you’d rather cut to the chase, then read the verdict right here.

Top 3 reasons to migrate

1. COST

Invariably, the top reason for moving to the cloud is the bundled cost optimization. Given that moving to the cloud can help your organization operate at the same capacity while effectively reducing thecost incurred; the decision of moving to the cloud sounds like a no-brainer. Cost savings coupled with smooth operations can be crucial for a small business’ growth. The money you’d generally be spending on hardware, software, and laborcan now be put to use in another crucial areaof the business – Digital Marketing perhaps?Although it may seem that the costs of the Cloud will inflate as you grow, the bottom-line here is that you only pay for what you use and this is where your decision to migrate truly shines through. While you may incur initial costs of making the shift, engaging in the learning curve, and getting used to a newer way of operations, these ingeniously balance out by eliminating the overhead costs associated with owning and operating hardware.

2. SCALABILITY

Scalability is imperative for any infrastructure investment made by SMEs especially. For a small business, scalability could mean keeping a lot of worries at bay. Moving to the cloud is a sure shot way to ensure scalability.

• Adding new servers, data storage, newer partitions, increasing computational power is as easy as a few button clicks!
• Now your infrastructure can grow with your business, and that too without having to heavily rely on a technically dexterous in-house IT team.
• Running a small business is like riding a sine wave and cloud helps you keep up with the peaks and lows. It allows you to scale up or scale down as necessary and save costs with the pay-as-you-use model.

3. ANYWHERE, ANYTIME ACCESS

The flexibility in accessing your cloud setup is unparalleled to any on-premise installation. This is pure ease-of-use and mobility, which by far are the two biggest driving factors for SMEs in today’s market! Your mobility defines the growth of your business and cloud can bring that to the table.

Top 3 drawbacks

1. Most healthcare and financial outfits steer away from migrating to the cloud for the sole reason that their data would sit in the hands of a third-party. Certain business processes and compliance regulations force these organizations to keep the cloud decision at bay.
2. Organizations that rely on thecloud have reported their share of issues which entail congestions, downtimes, and reliability. Any organization with a high need for availability invariably decides against Cloud. But there is a certain breathing space that hybrid cloudsetups can offer to such companies.
3. Backups with cloud providers have proven unreliable. Organizations relying on Cloud need to do due diligence and take adequate backups to ensure business continuity.

The Verdict

When it comes to SMEs the rewards far outweigh the risks!

Weigh the rewards vs. risks and if you’re undecided, take help from experts at Dolphin 24x7. You could choose a hybrid installation if you have control issues (pun intended). The associated cost savings and scalability options are a definite feather in the cap for any small business.

Why Dolphin24x7

Dolphin24x7 has a proven track record of performing flawless Cloud migrations for clients all over the globe. Remote Infrastructure Management is at the core of our business and we do it beyond perfection. Our always available team helps you smoothly transition to cloud and even provides adequate handholding to help flatten out the learning curve.

Call us at +1-516-717-2049 or email us at info@velaninfo.com  for instant IT support!

WHAT TO EXPECT – GOOGLE’S ADVANCED PROTECTION PROGRAM

Wrapping up Cyber Security month and very close to the 1 year anniversary of the phishing attack on John Podesta’s emails, Google rolls out the Advanced Protection Program “for those who need it the most” – we’re still figuring why they keep iterating that bit. Well nevertheless, you can enroll in it whether or not “you need it the most”. Read on to explore what the new program is all about and how it will save the galaxy.

Ok, it will not save the galaxy. At the onset, this advanced security program uses:

• Small wireless or USB devices (security keys)
• Digital signatures
• Public-key cryptography

Alphabet’s Google Inc has taken up quite a few advancements in the wake of Oct ’17 (Security Checkup, Safe Browsing Real-Time etc.) and APP is one of them. APP uses physical devices such as USBs to work out a Two-Factor Authentication during log-in. So while attempting to sign-in on any new device, you’ll have to enter your password AND use the “key” registered with your account.

The core focus of the program

1. Phishing Defense:The use of physical security keys have been around for decades and are rest assured an extreme safeguard against phishing attacks. This type of 2FA is your best bet against phishing. The keys use public-key cryptography and digital signatures and any attacker would need both, your password AND the physical key to break into your account.
2. Limit data access to trusted apps (read Google apps):Google trusts no third-party apps currently when it comes to your data on Google. It will slowly add more trusted aps to their whitelist but not as of now. Google understands that falling victim to phishing, happens accidentally. With APP it ensures you will not inadvertently grant access to malicious applications.
3. Keeping the hackers out:It is very common for hackers to impersonate you and then try to break into your account using Account Recovery techniques. With APP in place, these hackers will most certainly get locked out. Account recovery can take a few days since extra steps will be put in place. This could be a pain if you’ve legitimately lost access but is well worth it.

APP: Highlights& Know-how

1. You’ll pay for the physical keys/USBs – buy from Amazon.
2. One USB key for desktop and one Bluetooth-LE-enabled key for mobile (around $50 total). The good news here is that Google’s Advanced Protection Program is FREE.
3. The keys that you purchase should be approved by FIDO Alliance.
4. Say goodbye to iOS apps. Not literally but they’re not supported by the key-based authentication program. This could mean some restriction on browsers, cloud-syncing etc. where you depend on third-party apps. You could however use Gmail, Chrome etc. on your iOS devices.
5. SMS codes & Authenticator app will no longer work.
6. Google has a step-by-step guide online for enrolling in this program: https://landing.google.com/advancedprotection/
7. How good are you with keys?I keep losing stuff all the time! As an advancement, there should be an app to help find the keys/USBs if they go missing.
8. Remember, this is somewhat like having a physical lock on your account – a physical key along with a password is the only way.

If you’re looking at tightening the security of your infrastructure, then head over to our contact form here, or call us at  +1-516-717-2049. We’re maven of remote infrastructure management and we’ve helped numerous clients hacker-proof their infrastructure!

Dolphin Tech Tips - Connection Denied Remote Login

Hey folks! This post is the first in a series of tech tips that we techies at Dolphin are going to be rolling out.These tech tips are aimed at helping our reader tackle common issues with ease without the need of involving the IT or support team. We’re going to start with a fairly common issue and resolve it in 5 steps!

We’re Dolphin 24x7, a remote infrastructure management outfit full of tech whizzes who promise quick and efficient support. Right from handling IT tickets to cPanel, server management, etc., Dolphin’s got you covered.

Server Management Issue

Unable to remote login into another computer/virtual machine. So here’s what the error on your system looks like:

We’ve seen that “aha” moment on our users’ faces quite so often when we resolve these tickets, that we decided to cut the chase and put it online.

Solution

This needs to be solved at the computer that you’re trying to remote into. Yep, the problem is rarely with the system you’re using to access the remote computer. All you have to do is add “Remote Desktop Users” group or add individual users to remote into the said computer. It’s a simple logic of letting in just a marked group of friendly people in your house. So if you wish to access your computer from another computer, your comp needs to recognize it and allow it. Here’s how you can do it in 5 quick steps:

1. Go to Control Panel (make sure large/small icon view is enabled) and click on 
2. Click on Remote settings on the left panel.A System Properties window will open.

1. Make sure remote connection is allowed.Check Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication

4. Click on Select Users& click on Add to add the user(s) or group(s) that you would like to give remote access to.
5. Done!

Hope this post was helpful. Do let us know what resolutions you’d like to see posted.

Need IT support? Reach out to us @ +1-516-717-2049 or fill in this form to request for a tech tip.

Dolphin 24x7 can help you with reliable remote infrastructure management. Reach out to us for IT support outsourcing, cPanel, Server Management, etc. Click here to check out our service platter.