Information technology blog, cybersecurity blog

Is your in-house IT staff overwhelmed by the task of maintaining the security and performance of your IT infrastructure? Is network downtime hurting your company’s bottom line? Are you frustrated by business continuity and scalability issues as your business grows? Are you confused by all of the cybersecurity compliance requirements?

During tax season, documents with social security numbers and other private information on them are exchanged at a much higher rate than any other time of year. In addition, employers and employees are highly engaged in tax-related tasks, making this an especially busy time for finance people and business leaders alike.

Editor’s note: This article was originally written in 2019, but has been updated to include the most relevant information and ideas.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2019, but has been updated to include new content.

We get it: finding an IT consultant or managed service provider (MSP) can be stressful. You’re likely at a place where the technology in your environment isn’t working as you need it to. Or perhaps you're in a more dire situation such as following a cyber attack, data breach, natural, or other disasters. Between cold emails from possible partners, Google searches, industry referrals, and advertisements, narrowing your search can be overwhelming.

You’ve consulted with an IT firm or managed service provider (MSP) and decided that a technology refresh could help your business. Your old Windows 7 workstations are limping along anyway and were creating security concerns on top of that. By switching from desktops to laptops you’re also meeting the needs of your more mobile workforce. But what now? You’re staring down a 30-workstation hardware refresh all at once. You already know that it’s a valuable and worthwhile investment. You’re just not sure what your options are for funding this IT purchase. You’re not alone in having these kinds of thoughts at this moment. Across my nearly two decades in finance and as Kelser’s vice president of finance, I’ve worked with a ton of businesses that are where you’re at right now. I’ve helped them navigate those unknowns to get them where they need to be.

See this article as it originally appeared in The Hartford Business Journal. When I read last year that employees at layoff-and-buyout-battered Tribune Publishing newspapers (including the Hartford Courant) received mock phishing emails promising bonuses of $5,000 to $10,000, my heart sank. I can only imagine how the journalists themselves felt.

A version of the following article ran in the August 10 edition of the Hartford Business Journal under the headline "What part of your pandemic business should you keep?" As your organization scrambled to adjust to COVID-19, you may have implemented temporary solutions that could continue to be of value to the business going forward. With restrictions lifting, companies can pause to identify any positives that came out of this experience that may lower expenses or boost revenues on a long-term basis. In doing so, it’s also important to assess if your business may have gotten by with technology practices in the short term that could pose cybersecurity risks if left in place permanently.