Information technology blog, cybersecurity blog

This article originally appeared in the New England Real Estate Journal. The arrival of 5G wireless enables much broader internet availability and greater speeds on the job site as well as the opportunity to employ IoT (internet of things) devices that previously would not have been practical.

Even with managed services proactively addressing your technology problems, you’ll still need technical support from time to time. Whether you’re a new employee at one of our clients wondering how to get your problem fixed, curious as to what it would be like to use Kelser as your help desk, or just wondering how it all works, you’ve come to the right place. One of the perks of a managed services agreement with Kelser is that you get unlimited technical support and an entire staff of certified professionals to solve your issues.

I’ve been having many conversations with manufacturers about their need to get aligned with an interim rule put out by the Department of Defense (DoD) recently. The basic deliverables of that rule are to submit the score a supplier achieves following a gap analysis based on the controls listed in the NIST Special Publication 800-171 document. Sounds simple right? I’ve been working with hundreds of DoD suppliers as an outside consultant to guide them towards NIST 800-171 and CMMC compliance. I can tell you from experience that the idea is not clearly defined within the rule.

Cybersecurity is largely about identifying vulnerabilities and risky practices, ideally before hackers have the chance to find and exploit them. I was quoted extensively, along with experts from Deloitte, Schellman & Co., Sikich and Markel, in a story for SC Magazine on how data and the supply chain drive hidden network threats.

You’ve likely heard the term “managed service provider” or “MSP” before. Maybe you’re currently working with an IT firm and have heard MSP floated as an alternative. Perhaps you’re searching for IT and technology support or maybe you use an MSP now but frankly have no idea exactly what they do for you. So, you’ve asked yourself, “what does a managed service provider or MSP actually do?” This is a question we get every day, from our friends, relatives, and even potential clients. Here’s the answer they usually expect – it’s complicated. Here’s the truth – it doesn’t have to be.

Technology is central to your business. You may not associate your business with having an “IT” department or “IT” needs but your technology would disagree. The desktops, laptops, mobile devices, machines on the line, network modem, router, switch, and more all need to be kept running so your business can keep running. I'd bet this scenario isn't unfamiliar: you or one of your employees is typing away at a spreadsheet or invoice when suddenly the screen freezes up. No input received from the mouse or keyboard. You perform or hear that familiar sound of someone doing the mouse slam equivalent of hitting the side of an old TV set. Finally, the screen goes blank and the system goes offline for the foreseeable future.

When it comes to IT security, most businesses I speak to have become more sensitive and very concerned regarding IT security breaches. “Why is everyone so worried?” you may wonder. The reasons vary depending on what type of business you’re listening to as well as the position of the person within that organization. Some of the common responses I’ve heard include loss of data and personal identifiable information (PII), loss of revenue, and damage to their organization’s reputation. These concerns are echoed from IT management all the way up to presidents and business owners. Across all those businesses and roles, no one has ever said to me that defending against those ramifications above “is not important to me”.

You’ve probably seen or heard the term “managed service provider” or “MSP” in conversations or articles. “Isn’t that just a techie way of saying IT firm or IT consultant?”, you may have asked yourself. I hate to say it, but the short answer is “kind of”. Some companies will use the terms, “managed service provider”, “MSP”, “IT firm”, and “IT consultant” interchangeably. I get that it can be confusing especially because each of those terms has a different set of expectations that comes along with them.