As technology relentlessly pushes forward, you and your organization will undoubtedly need to upgrade your hardware. However, you can’t simply forget about your old hardware while reaping the benefits of replacing it with the latest and greatest. You should be excited about the upgrade, but how will you transfer data from your old equipment to the new? How will you erase data from the original hardware?

Maybe your in-house IT staff is overworked, or perhaps you simply don’t have the expertise necessary to build a robust network infrastructure. Whatever the reason may be, a growing number of businesses have chosen to outsource much of the heavy lifting to a network services company. Although there are many network services providers out there, not all of them are the right fit for your business. However, just because you’re not an IT company doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to evaluate potential IT partners. Below, we’ll discuss the six most important traits that you should look for in a network services company.

Software used to be such an adventure. Your company would buy a new program and then essentially be on your own to install it and learn how to use it. It might work out great, or it might be a frustrating fiasco. You bought it—it’s your problem now. Wisely, software companies have largely switched to a software-as-a-service model in which customers pay a recurring fee for use of software that is maintained and supported with customer service. Hardware is undergoing a similar transition with desktop-as-a-service, also known as device-as-a-service, or DaaS. Desktop-as-a-service shifts technology hardware from a capital expense to an operating cost. Rather than buying new computers and other technology in one large, up-front expense and then burdening your IT department with the massive task of setting them all up and maintaining them, a technology partner or managed service provider (MSP) will manage the assets for the entire lifespan.

It’s nearly 2019, and what it takes for CIOs and other technology executives to be successful looks a lot different than it did as recently as say, 2014. Recently, I was quoted by two major technology news outlets about the role of technology executives in the success of their organizations:

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Starwood Hotel breach. In November, Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, confirmed that as many as 500 million people who made reservations at one of its Starwood properties could have had their personal information—including names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, passport and credit card info—stolen by Chinese hackers. Peter Aiken, associate professor of information systems at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, calls the attack “the biggest threat to U.S. national security that we have ever faced” from a data breach.

At the recent TEDxHartford event, Kelser Vice President of Professional Services Matt Kozloski spoke about cybersecurity. His goal -- and our goal as a Cybersecurity-as-a-Service provider -- is to change the way the we think about cybersecurity, so that it becomes part of our habits. Watch the video and enjoy some choice quotes below.

Each organization has its own approach to cybersecurity—some of them better than others. While many small businesses take a proactive role by working with third-party managed security service providers, others are content to employ “security through obscurity,” hoping that there will always be a bigger, more appealing target. Unfortunately, every business is a potential target for cyber criminals.

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Last month, Hospital for Special Care (HSC) kicked off its new Center for Cognitive Health with a reception at the hospital's New Britain campus. Kelser Corporation presented a check for $25,500 to support the new initiative raised at the 2018 Kelser Charity Challenge golf tournament held in September.