What to Include in Your IT Strategy in 2020

It can be easy to focus almost exclusively on your business sales and how many customers you need to find over the next 12 to 18 months. One area that needs just as much attention is your IT strategy, in particular how it aligns and supports your business goals.

For a start, too many companies, especially small to medium size businesses, look at their IT support as a static part of their operation.

In fact, any IT strategy needs regular review and must move with the times and challenges to remain relevant. It’s not just about what cyber security measures you have in place either, but the whole integration and functioning of your digital infrastructure.

An effective IT strategy will deliver a number of different benefits:

  • Enhance the overall security posture for your business online.
  • Improve ROI and boosting sales.
  • Embrace new technologies to improve business processes.
  • Spend less time worrying about your IT and more time growing your business.

Undertake an IT & business goal audit

Before you can put together a realistic IT strategy, you need to understand where your business currently sits. A needs assessment or audit is designed to highlight the areas where you may have shortcomings or might want to update or evolve your systems. It can also show where your IT is working well.

This can be a lengthy process depending on the size of your company but will give you a firm basis from which to develop future plans.

What you need at the same time, however, is to align your future IT strategy with your business goals. The more you understand the synergy between your business goals and your future IT strategy, the better equipped you will be to grow and succeed for the future.

Your IT audit should cover a number of areas:

  • What is the purpose of your IT strategy? How long does it cover and who are the important stakeholders involved in its implementation?
  • Look at what current technology you use, assess its life expectancy and create a clear inventory.
  • Look at what technical solutions you ideally need in place to support your business goals over the next few years. For example, if your aim is to reduce office costs and include more remote workers, you may want to look at file sharing and collaboration cloud-based software for your business.
  • You will need to allocate a realistic budget for the existing provision and any changes you need to make to provide your IT support.
  • There are going to be limitations on what you can do depending on that budget and you should also understand how to work within these.
  • If you are introducing new IT systems, one key factor is going to be how you implement them – What disruption is there going to be? How long is it going to take? What training do staff need?
  • It’s important to build a framework where everything comes together including timelines for implementation and how you measure success. The better your metrics are here, the more efficiently you should be able to implement any changes or improvements to existing IT infrastructure.

Cyber security considerations

One area you will certainly need to be focused on in 2020 is cyber security. There’s no doubt the challenges are increasing in this area and keeping up to date is vitally important. Smaller businesses tend to assume they are less at risk from cyber security attacks than large corporations. Nothing could be further from the truth – SMEs are seen as a prime target because they are often less protected.

You need to include a review of your current cyber security measures in your IT strategy and look at how these can be strengthened. With advances in cloud services and AI you also need a service that is flexible and easily updated.

  • How do you defend your systems from cyber security risks?
  • What systems do you currently have in place and are these fit for purpose?
  • What processes do you have in place for training staff on potential cyber security threats?
  • How do you deal with third party suppliers and the security threat they may pose?

At the very least, your IT strategy needs to include a comprehensive examination of cyber security risks and how you intend to deal with them in 2020. That’s even more important in light of the new General Data Protection Regulation and legal requirements all businesses have to meet.

Opting for on-demand services

Things have changed when it comes to IT and many businesses nowadays opt for third party on-demand solutions. These can include everything from cyber security to cloud computing and digital storage.

What this brings is the ability to tailor your provision and budget better in running your business. Most services are eminently scalable so if you suddenly see a surge in growth you will have systems in place that can react efficiently and appropriately.

If you are searching for flexibility, scalability and efficiency in your IT strategy, switching to a subscription-based solution is going to make a huge difference.

Automation and AI can make life easier

It’s the general point of IT to make it easier for a business to operate. Putting aside the cyber security support you might hope to achieve, your infrastructure needs to take advantage of the various digital transformations that are taking place at the moment.

Key to this is the growing inclusion of automation and AI in digital processes. This is particularly important for smaller businesses that want to compete with bigger companies but lack the resources to do so. AI can help, for example, with delivering a great customer service experience. Automation can mean your business doesn’t have to rely on staff to do often menial but important tasks and can even replace roles completely.

Your IT strategy for 2020 should be exploring all potential avenues and matching them to your current business goals. Put the right processes in place and they should help to move your business forward faster than you think.

Working with a great IT support service

An IT strategy can be complex and demanding to put together. That’s why it’s important to work with an IT service provider that understands business and can help you implement the core changes that are going to make a significant difference to your performance over the next 12 months.

At Cyan, we have a track record of helping businesses of all sizes match their goals for growth with their IT strategy. Contact us today to find out more.

10 Questions to Ask About Your IT Service Provider in 2020

Whether you’re a small business or a large one, how you spend your budget with the help of your IT service provider is important.

Not only do you want value for money, you also need to cover the bases when it comes to security as well general and specialist IT support, including cloud services.

Ideally, you want an IT service provider that is looking ahead with you and has a plan for your business as you move towards 2020.

Here are 10 important questions to ask your current provider:

1. Can your IT service provider meet your 2020 business needs?

IT budgeting of any kind doesn’t work unless you have a road map ahead; a plan of what you want to achieve and how you’re going to get there.

While your business might have a clear idea of what it wants to do in 2020, it also needs to do this against a backdrop of IT that can deliver against business objectives, and strong cyber security. You’re IT service provider should have an implicit understanding of your business goals and have in place a strategy that tailors with your needs.

2. Is some of your technology holding your business back?

Most businesses that have adequate technology in place will tend to hang onto it until the last possible moment. That’s largely because they have invested significant time in training their staff and spent money to implement the system in the first place.

There comes a moment, however, when that legacy system is going to start holding your business back and may even contribute to a failure to reach future goals. Your IT service provider should have a clear understanding of what function your systems perform and be able to offer solutions should you need to change or upgrade.

3. What tech will your business need to replace or upgrade as you head into 2020?

This is a key IT budgeting theme for businesses that are looking to grow. They must look at the cost of moving to a new system as well as the impact of any delay in delivering their services while it beds in and the time and effort involved in training staff.

It means being sure you are making changes that are needed and will be profitable rather than jumping onto the latest tech trend or investing in systems purely to solve an operational pain without fully understanding the wider business impact.

4. What new technology is on the horizon and will it benefit your business?

There’s no doubt that the rate of development in IT services has grown considerably over the last few years. Picking the right one for your business is a major challenge.

These systems will need to be integrated to work across all areas of your business and that will take time and planning. Your IT service provider should have a handle on all the options available, what it takes to implement each and the impact on your business.

5. What is the cost of migrating to the cloud for your business?

One of the biggest changes in recent years is the availability and power of cloud services. These have offered digital transformation on a grand scale for many businesses – employees can work on the move, collaborate remotely and have instant access to updates. In addition, sales teams can get hold of vital data on their laptops or smartphones, working from home with access to the right tools is not only viable but desirable as overall productivity will improve.

But swapping to the cloud and migrating all your services takes time and money to achieve. Your IT service provider should be able to recommend a range of options to ensure the best fit for your needs at a cost you can afford.

6. Are your disaster recovery solutions fit for purpose?

No business likes to think that their systems will crash, or data might be lost. In our highly technological world, however, it remains a real risk. The disaster recovery solutions that your IT service provider has in place may not be required right now but they are an imperative part of your business you cannot afford to ignore.

You need to be confident, however, that your IT company has all the right processes in place and can get your business back up and running quickly if something happens. Your business continuity plan should be tested regularly and your IT service provider should evidence this.

7. What cyber security risks will businesses face in 2020?

That brings us to one of the incontrovertible challenges of our digital age. Any business that operates online faces numerous cyber security risks. It’s important your IT service provider has a solid finger on the pulse of cyber security and understands the threats businesses face as we go into the next decade.

One common risk is ransomware, malware that can take over your IT system and then be used to extort money from your business. Your IT service provider should be able to work with you to make sure that you have the best cyber security policies, procedures and software in place.

8. Do you have access to a cyber security expert who can tailor solutions for your business?

Cyber security for businesses is not a one size fits all solution and many different sectors have their own particular challenges. Your IT service provider needs to have the expertise on board that can deliver real solutions that protect your business. If they do not, your systems and data may be at risk.

9. Where does your IT service provider source its top talent?

There is currently a tech talent shortage and finding the top performers that will support your business is challenging. It’s important to look at how your IT service provider sources its employees, what training they provide and what sort of staff turnover they have.

One way to do this is to explore their culture and how they treat their staff. It’s a general rule that when employees feel valued and are paid appropriately, have a decent work-life balance and opportunity to progress, they are more likely to stick around than go work for someone else. Ultimately you need confidence in the team supporting your IT, and if members of that team change frequently, this will have a detrimental impact on support.

10. What other technology will help drive your business forward in 2020?

Technology takes many forms and your business will need to integrate many types into your growth model as time progresses. It could be something as simple as:

  • Moving to new, high tech premises if you are a software company.
  • Implementing a brand new sales app that employees can use on the move if you have a large sales force that is out on the road.
  • Bringing third-party suppliers in from outside and working with their technology and processes.

Your IT service provider should fully understand your current provision and objectives before they can suggest ways to help improve business processes or develop and integrate robust solutions when you need to adapt.

All these factors should help you determine how you will spend your IT budget in 2020 and what your priorities are going to be. Your IT service provider should be able to work with you to produce a road map and help you implement the changes that may be needed to achieve your goals. It’s important to ask the right questions though.

If you’re not 100% confident you’re partnered with the right IT service provider to take you in to 2020, it’s not too late to change. Contact the team at Cyan Solutions today for an informal chat about your needs.

What is a Typical IT Budget for a Small or Midsize Business?

Small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) can struggle to put a figure on their IT budget. There are a lot of factors involved in developing a solution that works, not least the industry or sector, the amount of data and how it is currently controlled, as well as the various types of technology being used.

Most SMB’s have to weigh the benefits of including new technology, the potential risks to their growth if the right measures are not implemented and even their position in the marketplace.

If you are an e-commerce business, your IT requirements are going to be different from an insurance company. A business with 3 or 4 staff will have considerably less IT costs than one with a 50 or 60 or more.

How Much Should You Spend?

A lot is going to depend on the context of your IT supply and what you want from it. The first thing to say is that you should treat IT as an investment not simply the need to have set of tools to keep you safe or enable communication.

Effective IT can have numerous benefits, including:

  • Helping to streamline your business operation, including in some cases automating tasks. Boosting your agility means you are able to respond to challenges in your sector as well as give yourself the best chance of growing.
  • The latest cloud packages allow staff to operate remotely. That means you have more flexibility in your workforce. This in turn means you can encourage greater productivity as well as strengthen your networks.
  • Improved cybersecurity will ensure that you keep data and other important information safe. It will also benefit your reputation with consumers.

For a business that has no internal IT department but has about 40 employees who all rely on IT, you will be looking at an average monthly spend of £2,000-£3,000. This can actually purchase you a good deal of tech support in today’s competitive IT environment.

On the whole across all sectors, the average SMB will spend about 6-7% of its revenue on IT. There are some important areas where you should be concentrating your IT budget:

1. Replacing Old Software

Many businesses stick with the same old software way past the time it has outlived its usefulness. This is generally a false economy especially when it comes to collaborative packages that allow your staff to work more productively. Picking the right time to switch to an upgraded version of a software package or try something new entirely is a huge challenge for SMB’s.

2. Old Hardware and Old Operating Systems

Another decision that can have an impact on your business is the age of the hardware systems that you have in place. Old desktops that no longer update can present a risk not only to that particular machine but your entire network. Vulnerabilities in older operating systems such as Windows 7, which will have support terminated in 2020, can present immediate danger to your business if the hardware is not updated.

3. Cloud Computing

The cloud seems all the rage nowadays and for good reason. Cloud services have changed the way many SMB’s do business. They facilitate more efficient collaboration and access to data which can greatly improve productivity. If your business uses remote employees who work from home or you have sales staff that need access to information on the road, cloud computing is indispensable.

4. Outsourced IT Support

With the advent of cloud services, we’ve seen a substantial rise in remote IT support solutions that are specifically designed for SMB’s. Not only has this allowed the typical IT budget to come down, it’s given many businesses a more level playing field on which to compete.

The good news is that outsourced IT support is a lot cheaper than employing staff on site and can deliver a wide range of expertise. It can also be tailored to your needs at any particular moment, scalable whether you want to grow or if you need to shrink your business model and your IT.

Tips for Controlling Your IT Budget

Compared to larger corporations, SMB’s have to do a lot of work to keep their IT support costs under control while still delivering on their needs. It’s important to make sure that you have the right components in place.

  • Have a regular audit to highlight where your IT can be improved or even rolled back.
  • Be prepared to embrace new tech if it can help reduce your running costs in the long term.
  • Think of IT as an investment not a drain on resources.

At Cyan Solutions, we work with SMB’s across all sectors and industries. If you want to make better use of your IT budget in the future and really deliver transformational results, contact our team today.

Does Outsourcing Mean IT Cost Reduction

Any business worth its salt will have a close eye on reducing costs at all times. One area that presents a particular challenge here is IT. Keeping data and infrastructure safe is important but so is having the appropriate software and services in place to help your business work productively and safely.

But is outsourcing the answer to all your worries and does it deliver an IT cost reduction?

At Cyan Solutions, we take a closer look.

What is IT Outsourcing?

Back in the old days, any business setting up would need to get an IT infrastructure in place, usually on site. Large corporations spent millions developing IT support services that could handle everything from computer setup to internal server issues.

Gradually, over the last ten years, third party suppliers of IT services have become increasingly popular. These have developed mainly as a result of our improved connectivity. It means you can set up a remote IT service element which operates separately from your business but delivers all the expertise and technical support that you need on a day to day basis.

The Benefits of IT Outsourcing

There are numerous advantages of using a third-party IT support service. The first is that you get the expertise you need on demand. If you were employing an in-house IT team it could cost you thousands of pounds a year just for one person. Not only that, you might not get the full expertise that your business really needs.

Outsourced IT companies provide services to many different clients which means they are able to take on a wide range of experts to help solve particular problems.

If you have a small to medium size business and are looking to grow, developing a plan for your IT to meet your needs can be a huge challenge. Outsourcing enables you to scale up and down as and when you need it. As long as you find a flexible and responsive partner, you can quickly alter your service and tailor it closely to your requirements.

The truth is that we live in a fast-paced world when it comes to technology. It was only about 15 years ago when most people connected to the internet via a clumsy dial-up connection and just over 10 years since the first smartphone hit the shops and broadband started to become such an indispensable thing in our lives.

When you think about how much has changed, and how much we take our connectivity for granted, you begin to see the developments that could come in the next few years. It’s important to keep up and ensure your business has the IT support it needs. This can often only be delivered through effective outsourcing nowadays.

IT Cost Reduction: What It Means for Your Business

Businesses require much more IT support than someone with a simple home broadband connection. Speed, for example, may well be a priority for your business. Your cybersecurity needs are going to be of a higher level and your access to software will essentially determine how productive you are able to be.

IT cost reductions and savings come from a number of areas when using outsourcing:

  • You can tailor your IT provision to suit your needs, depending on the budget you have.
  • You can use money saved in employing in-house IT experts to further develop your business.
  • You can scale your IT support to suit your needs, improving it as your customer base and business grows.
  • You get to rent the top talent you need only when you need it. If there’s a specific problem with your IT infrastructure or a challenge ahead, you hire the expertise you require for a specific time at a fraction of the cost.
  • Outsourcing your IT service will also lead to cost reductions because your business is better protected. Your IT support will ensure you remain on top of the latest threats, reducing the risk of your systems being compromised. That in turn should boost your reputation as a safe company to deal with.
  • An outsourced IT service can also help you improve productivity by making sure you have the appropriate software in place for your business needs.

Finding the Right IT Partner

Of course, the big challenge here is finding the IT support service that not only delivers on your current business needs but helps you plan for the future. At Cyan Solutions, we have the experts onboard who can make a real difference to your growth and future security.

Whether it’s cybersecurity, IT support, a virtual CIO or cloud services, we ensure your business stays connected, safe and productive at a cost you can afford. Contact our expert team today to find out how we can help transform your business.

Tips for Finding the Best IT Consulting Solutions

It can be difficult staying up-to-date with the latest advances in technology or understanding how these can benefit your business if they are implemented. Most business owners don’t completely understand what a managed IT solution can provide or how it fits in with the way their company currently runs.

There are also plenty of companies offering IT consulting solutions ‘tailored’ to your needs out there, each promising the earth. But which one should you chose? How do you separate the worthwhile IT consultants from the ones that are likely to hold your business back?

Your IT partner can make a huge difference to the success or failure of your business and how competitive it is. Here are our tips for finding the right company:

1. Understand What You Need

You need to be able to match the services on offer to complement your business activities. Take a look at your short and long term goals and then find out what IT consulting solutions are going to benefit these.

You might want high levels of security because of the kind of data you handle, or services that constantly monitor your threat status and automatically provide solutions. You may want to introduce new cloud services so that your staff are able to perform more productively.

2. Take Your Time

Finding the best IT consultant to work with can take time. There are lots of options online and you shouldn’t rush, or allow yourself to be rushed, into picking this company or that company. It’s better to take some extra time, including having a cooling off period before you finally decide, to ensure you get the best partner for the future development of your business.

3. Look for Expertise

The best IT consulting solutions are the ones that have a range of expertise available. You rarely get this from one person businesses – they can be stretched for time and certainly won’t have the level of knowledge you are looking for. You should check not only the number of staff they have on board but what their specialisations are.

It’s important to interview your prospective IT consultancy and find out all you can about them. Check for online reviews and ask for referrals.

4. Does It Fit Your Needs

If you’ve made a list of what you are looking for as a business, done your due diligence and matched up the various services you require, the final thing you need to decide is whether the IT service meets your needs and ticks all the right boxes. Some extra areas to consider are how long they have been operating and whether they are able to respond to your changing needs.

IT Consulting Solutions: Why Choose Cyan?

At Cyan we pride ourselves in being a flexible, high tech solution for today’s modern businesses. We offer a range of different services that can be tailored to your needs. If you want to start small and cover just a few areas of IT support, we can certainly help with that. The good news is that our provision is scalable – which means, as your requirements change, so can our service.

We work closely with our customers to identify the areas where they need support. Here are just some of the things we can help your business with:

Managed IT Support: For many businesses, IT can take up much more time than they have to offer internally. A managed IT solution basically takes the weight off your shoulders and provides the full service and maintenance you need at a cost you can afford.

Cyber Security: Safety of data is probably the biggest worry that businesses have nowadays. Your success depends on having a secure eco-system, protecting your from both financial and reputational damage. At Cyan, our expert team helps put in all the processes that protect your business, including managed firewalls and anti-virus software that is fit for purpose.

Cloud Services: More and more businesses are using the cloud to deliver flexibility and agility for their employees. Our subscription-based services mean that you can keep control of the costs and give your staff the tools they need to achieve your goals.

Virtual CIO Consultancy Services: Most businesses don’t have the finances to employ a Chief Information Officer on site. Our virtual service means that you can access the latest advice and technology to drive your business forward at a fraction of the cost.

IT consulting solutions can be complicated and are challenging to get right. If your business is looking for a partner that can deliver tailored services and grow and scale as you develop, contact the team at Cyan today.

Key Technology Trends Impacting the Energy Sector

The energy sector has been evolving rapidly in recent years thanks to new and upcoming technologies. 2018 is looking to be a milestone year for the energy industry, with the introduction of many new technology trends that are set to be revolutionary in the sector.

The rise of digital has affected many businesses over the years, and the electricity industry is no exception. With everything from artificial intelligence through to increased technological demands in the home, there are a number of technology trends set to impact the energy sector over the coming months and years.

Growing Cybercrime Threat

Cyber-attacks are increasing in every industry across the globe, and the energy sector is no different. Earlier this year the United States Department of Energy announced it was planning on setting up its own Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response to tackle the upcoming security challenges. There is also evidence that hackers have been targeting the energy and nuclear facilities for the last couple of years.

Cybersecurity concerns are one of the most pressing issues within the energy sector, and as companies introduce more complex technology systems, the risk and potential for an attack are increased. Many utilities are upgrading systems to provide a higher level of grid intelligence and better communication with customers devices, opening themselves up to more potential security threats.

The Rise in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved rapidly in recent years and provided the energy sector with a variety of new capabilities such as machine learning, cognitive analytics, deep learning and robotics process automation. These advances in technology have led to powerful systems that can automate increasingly complex workloads and develop cognitive agents that can simulate human thinking and engagement.

AI can be used in the energy sector to streamline, automate and eliminate processes within customer interactions, taking customer experience to the next level. As well as customer service benefits, AI can also be an excellent tool for customer engagement by giving companies the ability to compute a customer’s smart metre data to develop invaluable insights into their consumption habits.

Blockchain

Blockchain has been on the cards for quite some time and is slowly growing in popularity across a variety of industries. While it is currently limited within the energy sector, the potential of this technology should definitely not be ruled out, in fact, it may end up being invaluable in the industry in coming years.

Blockchain offers a permanent and transparent solution that is entirely digital making it really easy to work with. Within the energy sector, blockchain could potentially be used for easily recording transactions and contacts in a transparent and searchable form. The energy sector involves a considerable amount of customer paperwork and blockchain could provide some significant operational benefits such as easily locating records, detecting fraud and clarifying bill disputes.

3D Printing and Smart Materials

In recent years there have been significant steps forward in 3D printing, particularly with print metals becoming significantly cheaper. This will likely be used widely in the energy sector for the creation and maintaining of equipment and systems.

An increased use of smart materials would also have a significant impact on the energy market, and the use of materials that can self-heal could potentially change the industry altogether.

Digital Transformation in Homes

It is no surprise that there is an increased demand for energy in homes across the world. With technology coming on in leaps and bounds in recent years, the amount of electricity being consumed today is very different from that of a few years ago. The introduction of smart technologies such as smart lightbulbs and smart metres has transformed the way consumers use their energy within their homes, and this is only set to become more complex and readily available in the coming years.

The uptake of smart energy products by consumers has been relatively minimal so far, and according to recent research, 72% of people are unlikely to introduce any form of smart home technology in the next five years. However, the individuals who already make use of smart devices have noticed a significant impact on the day to day running of their homes. Many believe the uptake has been slow as consumers are still sceptical of smart energy products, but the market is expected to accelerate rapidly once the popularity of the technology increases.

The energy sector is set for a rapid transformation for the rest of 2018 and the following years, and those within the industry should be preparing themselves or the upcoming changes and opportunities that these technology trends are sure to bring. Not embracing these new technologies will leave your business at risk of being left behind the curve. At Cyan we have experience of providing transformational technology infrastructures for growing businesses the energy sector. Talk to us today to see how we can help your business.

Myth-busting Cloud Technology

Five Top Cloud Technology Myths

Cloud computing has been growing in popularity in recent years. However, there are still some regular misconceptions about the platform and how it works. In simple terms, cloud technology refers to storing and accessing programs and data over the internet as opposed to using a computer’s hard drive.

With an online connection, cloud computing can be done at any time and from anywhere, which is just one of the reasons that it is so popular among businesses and individuals. For something that has become so mainstream in recent years, cloud computing is still not properly understood by many. This article will reveal the truth about cloud technology and most common myths associated with it.

The Cloud Isn’t Secure

Many people seem to believe that using cloud technology is less secure and safe than traditional IT solutions. In actual face, maintaining cybersecurity is all about staying ahead of the attackers, and this is the same whether you are using cloud technology or traditional solutions. The main difference when using cloud technology is that both you and your cloud provider have a shared responsibility for maintaining the security of data stored in the cloud.

As cloud providers are professionals in the field of cloud technology and security, they usually have the investment resources, experience and knowledge to maintain high-end security technology. When it comes to both security and compliance, a cloud provider can generally invest vast amounts of resources that far exceed what an independent business could realistically manage.

The Cloud and The Internet Are The Same

There is often confusion about what the cloud really means, and usually, we interpret saving something to the cloud as saving it to the internet, which is figuratively true, but the two things are not the same. Put simply; the cloud is a network of remote servers that can only be accessed using the internet. The internet is one huge global network of connections, and within it, there are hundreds of thousands of clouds.

Many people make the mistake of thinking there is one single cloud when in actual fact there are thousands of different clouds located on the internet. These various different clouds could be either public or private. A public cloud is a service that can be accessed by anyone from anywhere with their own individual account, such as Dropbox or iCloud. A private cloud is dedicated to one specific company and can only be accessed by those with access to that particular server.

Cloud Migration Is Difficult

Years ago, when the cloud was a relatively new technology, there were plenty of horror stories around from early adopters who moved their business onto cloud technologies. Just a few years ago, cloud technologies were still a relatively new thing, and the power of them was unproven, leaving enterprises to figure them out on their own with little guidance or help. This led to implementation nightmares and gave cloud technology a bad name.

The technologies have come on in leaps and bounds since then, and now implementing cloud technologies could not be easier. The technology has improved significantly in recent years, and there are experienced and knowledgeable professionals out there to assist businesses in implementation and training. If your current servers are outdated, then some cleaning and architecture revisions may be necessary to migrate to the cloud, but with the help of a professional, the migration process can be seamless.

Cloud Technology Is A Fad

Many people still have this common misconception that cloud computing is simply just another fad. Its fast rise in popularity makes some people believe that the cloud is just another marketing buzzword that will be soon forgotten, but this is not the case. Cloud technology has actually been around since the 1960s and has become increasingly popular in recent years as technologies have advanced and improved.

Hundreds of companies across all industries rely on cloud computing for their day-to-day. IT needs, making it far too big and popular to be regarded as a short-lived fad. Cloud computing is expected to continuing growing and advancing over the next few years and is showing no signs of slowing.

Cloud Technology Is Cheap

It is a common belief that cloud technology is a cheaper way to run a business than traditional methods, but this is not always the case. Moving a company’s systems and data to a cloud platform will reduce the need for expensive hardware and in-house servicing costs, but there is also a financial investment involved in migrating everything over.

While the initial cost of moving over to the cloud may be pricey, the ongoing management costs are generally low and make up for it in the long run. Cloud technology also provides a more significant amount of flexibility and scalability once the transition is complete, resulting in a better performing business.

At Cyan Solutions we are experts in working with our customers to smoothly transition them onto the right cloud platform, tailored to their needs. Contact us now to discuss how cloud technology could transform your business.

Top Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Requirements

Top Five Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Requirements

When running a growing business, it can feel like you’re a bit of a one-man band trying to balance various aspects of the businesses needs. In some areas of your business, it can be beneficial to keep the workload in-house, and even employ a specific team to handle it, but it just isn’t always practical to try and manage everything yourselves.

Outsourcing, or hiring an external company to manage specific areas of your business, is a familiar and popular option for many businesses, and thousands choose to outsource their IT requirements to seasoned professionals. There are a wide range of benefits to outsourcing your IT requirements.

Experienced and Certified Professionals

Information Technology is a complicated and challenging area to tackle, and without appropriate training and experience, it is impossible to get right. When it comes to hiring an in-house IT team, if you’re not IT trained yourself then how do you assure a potential employee is qualified? Certifications are great, but previous experience of managing a business’s IT requirements is invaluable.

By choosing to outsource your IT requirements to a professional company, you are guaranteed to get knowledge that an individual IT employee doesn’t have. IT service companies have a heap of experience in managing IT requirements for a business, and they often see related problems multiple times and will already know the best solutions and prevention techniques.

Controlled Costs

By outsourcing IT requirements, you are converting fixed IT costs into a variable cost that is much better for budgeting. You will only be paying for the services you use as and when you use them, as opposed to a fixed cost to the business every single month, even if no major IT changes have been made.

As well as reducing and controlling IT running costs, outsourcing can also result in considerable savings in labour costs. Recruiting and training IT staff can be costly, and with no guarantee as to how long an employee will stay with the business, it is a cost that you may have to pay every few years. Outsourcing allows you to focus your human resources efforts in other areas of the business where you need it the most.

Stay Ahead of the Game

When a business tries to manage all of their IT requirements in-house, it often takes a lot longer to get projects and developments completed. This is because there is a higher level of research, development and implementation time required compared with using an outsourced IT provider.

All of these things also increase the cost of new developments and slow down the whole process meaning your competitors might be making game-changing developments while you are still in the researching phase. A fully managed outsourced IT service will have the resources and knowledge to begin new projects immediately, compared with in-house where you may need to hire new staff, train them and provide the necessary support.

Increase Security and Reduce Risks

IT service providers will constantly be keeping up to date with specific industry knowledge, especially when it comes to security and compliance, that an in-house team simply might not be aware of. Outsourcing provides you with a reduced risk of coming across any issues, and an IT company will often have better expertise when deciding how to avoid certain risks to your business.

With the huge rises in cybercrime to businesses recently and the added pressure of GDPR, it is essential to keep your IT systems security as tight and secure as possible. Your in-house team may struggle to know the best practices and methods to keep your company and customers safe, but an outsourced IT team will be well aware of all PCI compliance standards and the best way to keep everything up to date and safe from attackers.

Strategic Planning

IT service providers have years of experience working with different clients and industries and will focus on keeping up to date with the latest technologies, making them the perfect team to help your business grow and expand. Many outsourced IT companies will be able to advise you on your business’s future IT requirements by evaluating your growth and planning how your IT infrastructure needs to support this.

At Cyan Solutions we work in partnership with our customers to support their technology ambitions. This allows us to deliver innovative solutions that meets your business’s specific needs now and in the future. With technology constantly changing, it is difficult to know yourself what IT requirements you will need in the future. But, by choosing to outsource to professionals, you will be getting expert guidance and support to help your business grow.

Switching over to Cyan is a simple, easy, seamless transition. It can seem overwhelming to make such a significant change to the way your business operates, but the benefits are clear, and successful growth often requires change. Call us today to see how we can help transform your business.

What support should you expect from your IT provider

With so many things that can go wrong in IT, from hardware not working to lost files to data security breaches, what should you be looking for when choosing a service provider? There is a wide range of support available and not all suppliers are the same, even though the terms they use may be. How do you choose between them and ensure your solution matches what you need within your budget?

Here are some of the essential services you should demand from your managed services;

User Support

You should expect your Helpdesk team to deliver immediate assistance whenever needed. At Cyan Solutions, we provide unlimited help and guidance over the phone or can connect to systems remotely to fix problems, carry out maintenance work, or assist users when they have questions. Additionally, if we can’t resolve an issue remotely we will despatch an engineer to your site at no extra charge.

Infrastructure Support and Maintenance

Our engineers will manage and support your entire IT infrastructure and ensure your business is operational and compliant. We’ll keep your network secure, and your systems up-to-date. From servers to software licenses, whether in the cloud or onsite, we’ll maintain your entire IT estate and make sure it delivers exactly what you need.

IT Security

We manage security across all systems and devices under our control and combine industry-leading tools to deliver a unified security suite. We’ll keep users safe by protecting email, web browsing and cloud applications, we’ll secure Internet gateways from the threats of hacking and intrusion, and we’ll shield your systems with award winning anti-virus and malware defence. Our team will monitor security across all areas of your business and analyse and remove any potential threats as they occur.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

We safeguard your business against outages, fire, flood, theft, human error, ransomware and even hardware failure. We manage the entire backup process ensuring your important data, applications and databases are kept safe and secure. From a single file to an entire failed server, we have the tools to recover your business from complete disaster within hours.

IT Purchasing

Having in-depth technical knowledge of your business puts us in the perfect position to make important recommendations based on the true needs of your organisation. For example, we can supply and install new systems and software, we can design and build a more efficient network; or provision and integrate emerging Cloud technology.

Performance Monitoring

We proactively monitor your computers, servers, network and Cloud services and take immediate action to identify and fix smaller issues before they have time to develop into bigger problems or downtime. More importantly, we can ensure that system performance is optimal at all times.

IT Reporting

Having insight and visibility in to your technology, with all its related statistics and performance measurements, is key to justifying future direction or making important business decisions. Our reporting tools are designed to extract valuable information about your systems, your users, IT efficiencies, productivity and security

As an absolute minimum, these are the service levels you should expect from any provider. However, the real benefits come from working in partnership with your supplier, so your technology infrastructure becomes fully integrated with your business plans and is developed to meet your growth ambitions.

At Cyan Solutions we become an integral part of your team, planning your technology capability in line with your organisational strategy, creating the right solution for you and ensuring it is maintained ongoing. Contact us today to discuss your IT support needs.

7 must-have apps and software that aid remote working

Remote working has enabled us to be more productive than ever. There are now a multitude of user-friendly web based applications which put the technological power at our fingertips, enabling us to be even more productive. Plus such apps make it easier to have more downtime instead of constantly scanning for new emails. So when you’re not in demand, you can schedule and organise your time more effectively.

Being office bound is no longer seen as the most effective mode of work. Remote working allows employees to work more efficiently and be more productive. It also increases well being among employees and gives businesses greater flexibility to work at their optimum level. We’ve put together some of our must have tools to help boost your employees remote working power.

Slack

Slack is the communication and messaging app made for teams, accessible from desktop and mobile devices. Amongst a whole host of integrations, it allows you to create channels to organise your team conversation on different topics and projects. These can be made private for private projects. You can also communicate one-on-one through direct messaging, launch video or voice calls, drag and drop to share files – which can also be linked through from services such as Google Drive or Dropbox. You’ll wonder how you ever survived without it!

Trello

Trello is an integrated communication platform which synchronises boards, notes, email, messenger. It helps stop endless email checking and cross referencing between different platforms. It consolidates all your channels in one place and is also great for team co-ordination and project management. Everyone knows where to go to get the information and this creates a high level of accessibility and transparency. There are unlimited ways to organise yourself and your team and keep on track of projects, events, decisions and attendees.

Asana

Asana is a web app that allows teams to manage and track projects from start to finish, right down to the smallest task. It allows you to easily see progress of each project, turn meetings into actionable task, and better understand and manage what each remote-worker is prioritising at each specific moment.

IDoneThis

If Asana isn’t for you, you may prefer the simplified IDoneThis. It allows for simple and easy daily status check-ins on particular tasks. Through it you can know what is done, in progress, or has stalled and why. Employees can work at their own pace and everyone has an overview of what tasks are being done, by whom and when they are complete. These status check-ins prevent managers having to micro manage and ask questions to find out about progress. Remote working requires a level of trust and IdoneThis does just that.

Facebook Workplace

Love it or hate it, Facebook has been around for a long time and Workplace has fast become one of the best pieces of software for connecting teams across an organisation. It allows all the things that Facebook does – instant messaging, live broadcasting, bot automation and groups – but specific to work. You can also integrate OneDrive and Dropbox, and it’s great at making announcements to everyone so the entire team are kept up to date. As a result, Workplace reduces complexity and saves time and money.

GitHub

GitHub was created by Linux creators and therefore is based on the same opensource principles which made Linux the power it is today. Geeks love Github because it provides a platform for software development teams to collaborate. It lets workers host their code and puts checks and balances in place to make version control a breeze. Software developers use the hub to share their software and network and receive feedback from likeminded coders. Great for geeks.

InVision

For design teams, InVision is a prototyping, collaboration and workflow platform that allows for the building and sharing of prototypes within a team. In addition it allows for a useful and intuitive feedback process via communication with clients and other team members.