Crowdfunding for Start-Ups

Leave a reply

As a modern and innovative fundraising option for the digital age, start-ups are increasingly looking to the crowdfunding method in order to pitch their ideas and potentially finance a new project or business proposition. In this article, SecureIT takes a look at the current landscape of Irish crowdfunding, and view the most popular channels through which the public can provide financial support to organisations or causes.

Western Webs, the company behind Ireland’s largest charity fundraising website, iDonate.ie, has been leading the way in online fundraising for years. Now, the newly-launched crowdfunding website, iCrowdFund, seeks to broaden that scope.

What sets iCrowdFund apart from international competitors like Kickstarter – a new entrant to the Irish fundraising market – or the Irish-based Fundit? Unlike these websites, iCrowdFund supports donation and reward-based funding, as well as both ‘All or Nothing’ and ‘Keep it All’ type projects. ‘All or Nothing’ projects must reach their full target amount – if not, the project owner receives nothing. The ‘Keep it All’ option, on the other hand, allows for any amount pledged to be transacted. Those hoping to launch a fundraising project on iCrowdFund.ie won’t have to worry about set-up fees, either; only a commission and transaction fee apply once the fundraising campaign has drawn to a close.

For credit card processing, iCrowdFund.ie will use the internationally recognised Stripe system. Stripe is a dynamic, Irish-owned payments platform designed to process online credit card payments, as well as transactions performed across mobile apps.
Another talking-point surrounding iCrowdFund.ie is the reward option which, according to founder, Paddy Coyne, “is of particular interest to service or hospitality business owners. Business owners could offer a reward in the form of voucher or membership to those subscribing. Those subscribing to the campaign are in effect a large marketing team, as it is in their interest that the project succeeds”.

Crowdfunding has dramatically altered how projects – particularly those in the more creative realm – receive their funding abroad. iCrowdFund and Kickstarter, among others, pave the way for Irish entrepreneurs who seek to bypass the bank or financial firm loan process, which will serve as an appealing prospect for many.

Managed Firewall: Does Your Business Need One?

Leave a reply

Managed Firewall

One of the most crucial elements to the integrity of your company’s IT infrastructure is a robust firewall. If you cannot guarantee full protection 24/7 for your client’s data, then you should rethink the manner in which your firewall is managed. Your security must always be running at peak efficiency and without interruption – if this is not the case, then your business could be vulnerable. Luckily, outsourcing means that there is a team of certified and highly skilled professionals available who specialise in creating airtight IT security for businesses.

Not convinced that a managed firewall is right for you? Have a read through the points below; you may reconsider.

24/7 Monitoring

If your business doesn’t have a committed IT department, then it’s likely that your staff is forced to rotate daily between roles for which they simply aren’t qualified. This lack of consistency means that around-the-clock monitoring of your IT operations isn’t feasible. Don’t have the resources to maintain an IT staff? This is where managed services can be of benefit to you. You will have a team on hand throughout the day to ensure that your firewall is up to date and performing at peak levels, relieving you from the worry of network attacks. With an efficient managed services team continuously working behind-the-scenes, you can avoid unnecessary downtime as a result of unforeseen issues.

Team of Certified Experts

Hiring a good managed services company means that you will have access to a team of certified security experts, as well as their in-depth knowledge. With a wealth of experience in firewall administration and the necessary qualifications from security vendors to back it all up, these professionals can easily configure and manage your firewalls, ensuring that it’s smooth sailing for your network.

No License Renewals

License renewals can often be a source of frustration within any IT department. Annual renewals demand time and a significant portion of your budget which can be expected to rise each year. By availing of a managed firewall solution, your business can expect to pay a fixed cost each month – no nasty surprises. As well as that, your IT service provider will handle the license documentation.

Reporting

Failing to continuously monitor your network means that you don’t have a proper insight into your IT operations. Without an understanding of the threats your business faces on a daily basis, or an awareness of the weak points in your security, you could unknowingly be leaving your network wide open to attack. This can lead to a number of issues down the road for your business, and no means to prevent or prepare for them. With a managed services team monitoring your IT security operations, you can gain a specialist’s perspective on your business’s bandwidth and web usage in the process.

Save your business money

The financial benefits of outsourcing your firewall administration cannot be underestimated. By availing of a managed services company, you eliminate the financial burden of IT employee salaries, while tapping into the invaluable expertise of a highly skilled team. Not only does your business significantly cut down on its spending, you are also guaranteed peace of mind knowing that there is a team of specialists monitoring your firewall around-the-clock.

IT Managed Services: Why It Pays to go Local

Leave a reply

Outsourcing has undergone considerable change in recent years to become a common practice for not only large companies, but small to medium organisations as well. Dealing with faraway call centres used to be a burden which many end users and website administrators were forced to bear. However, the landscape of outsourcing has since shifted and, despite starting off with a less than glowing reputation, it is now viewed as a must for both long-established businesses and those just starting out.

Availing of an Irish outsourcing company can go a long way in affording you the peace-of-mind you need to focus on your core operations. Let’s look at why location is such a crucial factor.

Accessibility

More and more managed service providers (MSPs) are being established locally each year, providing benefits which foreign outsourcing vendors simply cannot offer. Among these is the value of face time, allowing you the option of exchanging ideas in person. Choosing a MSP based at home can offer significant advantages in terms of your organisation’s productivity rates should a problem arise, cutting office disruption down to an absolute minimum. If you urgently require a technician to resolve an issue on your premises, your IT team will be on hand to fix the problem within hours rather than days.

Customer Service

Depending on the customer service representative, a caller’s experience with an international outsourcing vendor has the potential to vary hugely with each call. A local MSP affords you the benefit of calling a direct number and, more often than not, speaking to a familiar voice. As a result, you have the opportunity to build a close working relationship with your IT team over time, thereby familiarising yourself with their problem-solving process.

Language

Outsourcing is often associated with its fair share of drawbacks – the most common of which is the issue of language barriers. Diagnosing a problem and identifying a solution can be a huge challenge when important details continually get lost in translation. In recent years, an increasing number of local managed service providers have eradicated the need to look abroad for outsourcing vendors by offering flexible solutions at competitive prices. Your productivity and peace of mind no longer have to be impeded by tedious language gaps. Cut down on the amount of time you need to spend on the phone by selecting a local IT managed services provider.

Support Your Local Economy

Now more than ever, keeping your business local can go a long way to helping Irish enterprises and communities. By choosing to partner with a managed services provider in your area, you benefit local economy and aid in keeping specialised skills and talent based at home. While outsourcing to overseas companies may initially seem like the most cost-effective solution, Irish MSPs are now providing a wide array of services at excellent value for your company – not to mention the easy access of a nearby IT team.

If your business is looking into the solutions offered by a managed services provider, then you may want to consider how the above points apply to your operations.

SecureIT boasts a team of highly trained and certified technicians based in Dublin. Our professionals operate 24/7/365 to deliver comprehensive, innovative and cost effective services, as well as the benefit of a local Irish Support Desk. Find out how we can assist your business today.

Why should you outsource your office IT requirements?

Leave a reply

Outsourcing the operational responsibility of your IT infrastructure to specialists like SecureIT offers a number of perks that can benefit your company in the long-term. In addition to increased employee productivity, one of the most appealing advantages to outsourcing is the potential to save an impressive sum of money. This is why an increasing number of businesses are handing a portion of their IT management over to professionals who are completely independent of their internal staff.

With a less than glowing reputation at the outset regarding language barriers and corporate exploitation, the outsourcing model has since undergone dramatic changes over recent years to become a feasible and sensible choice for many businesses seeking to streamline their operations. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.

Benefits of Outsourcing

Reduce Labor and Maintenance Costs

The financial burden of maintaining an in-house infrastructure on a dwindling budget can prove disastrous for many businesses. Coupled with the cost of cooling and security requirements, companies must invest in the employing, training and maintaining of what is often an inefficient IT staff.

By turning to outsourcing vendors, businesses are afforded much-needed time and money to concentrate on strategy and customer service. This isn’t a case of swiping jobs away, however. With a team of highly experienced technicians available, it is the best option for companies seeking to streamline and better relegate their funds so that core business operations can be supported.

Consistency & Reliability

If your business experiences a high employee turnover, chances are that it comes at a cost – however small – to your company’s overall productivity. Today, as almost all industries strive to cut costs and streamline wherever possible, no saving is too small. With SecureIT working around the clock to boost efficiency and guide your system through technology transitions and upgrades, you are guaranteed minimal disruption and uncertainty regarding the administration of your IT infrastructure.

Scalability

Outsourcing your business’s IT infrastructure doesn’t have to be a case of all or nothing. It ultimately comes down to scalability, and rationalising which aspects of its management are impeding your company’s profitability. If your IT requirements are significant enough to warrant at least one full-time employee, then outsourcing is guaranteed to lower your costs

Best Practice & Security

Dividing already exhausted resources between IT infrastructure management and core business matters can lead to diminished quality in both areas. When it comes to IT security, compromising on quality is not an option. If your business deals with transactions or any amount of personal customer data, you owe it to your clients to ensure it is protected. Even the smallest crack in your security has the potential to be exploited, leading to potentially devastating affects within your company.

Rapidly Implement New Technology

A professional IT managed service provider will immediately perform on-the-button technology updates with minimal disruption to your operations. Our process follows a finely-tuned system which we have successfully deployed to a number of infrastructures – whereas the same system update by an in-house staff may require weeks of training and hiring.

Certified and Experienced

Certificates are important when hiring an in-house IT staff – but can these same employees apply this knowledge in a practical and confident manner? Our highly trained and qualified specialists at SecureIT boast years of combined experience in implementing IT solutions to small and large businesses alike.

How SecureIT can help!

As an IT managed service provider, SecureIT deals with both straightforward and complex issues on a daily basis; it’s our job. With comprehensive problem solving skills and years of experience as a prerequisite, there are few things which take us by surprise. Similarly, we know what works and what doesn’t in terms of strategy, software and hardware applications. We have the customised services and advanced technology to best serve every business’s needs, as well as the expertise to determine those requirements through our in-depth IT security audits.

Our IT infrastructure outsourcing also offers continued monitoring and 24/7 support, with an encyclopedic knowledge of ICT solutions on hand to assist you. No matter the business, it is unlikely that in-house departments have the means to equal our depth of experience. So, as a result of outsourcing with SecureIT, both small and large businesses can benefit from the same cutting-edge IT tools and services which they would otherwise not have access to.

Why Your Office Needs an IT Services Provider When Relocating

Leave a reply

When it comes to the relocation process, IT service providers offer a catch-all solution to your business’s complex needs. From setting-up the company phone system to installing new servers, there aren’t many things they can’t or won’t do. For businesses on the move, minimal disruption to everyday operations is a top priority – so, why not avail of a team which is experienced and trained for that very purpose? Apart from putting your mind at ease, there are other reasons why you should consider utilising an IT service provider’s relocation services.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important factors:

Safe Handling

Hardware such as computers and servers are costly items which hold reams of in-house and client data. You need assurance that they will be handled with the utmost care while being packed for the journey – long or short. A number of details must be taken into account when packing and hauling equipment of this nature – details which a regular moving company will probably not be attuned to. Temperature control, for example, can have a great impact on the integrity of your devices, and is something which only a quality IT service provider will be sufficiently knowledgeable in.

Communication is Key

While your office is bustling with change and activity, it is integral to a smooth relocation process that everyone is kept informed and regularly updated. In addition, your business has to continue on as usual – where possible – and concentrate on its existing workload. This is where an IT service provider can be a valuable resource. With the benefit of industry experience and training, a good service provider will have honed a process which eliminates the potential for disruption to your business operations. The technicians will carefully plan each step with you and coordinate a strategy which fits your schedule. Not only will a smooth transition put your mind at ease, but your clients will also be grateful.

Training

Companies often use the moving period to introduce new hardware and applications to their infrastructure. An IT service provider will handle the entire installation process and carry out any necessary system upgrades, while at the same time using the opportunity to train both you and your staff members in the new IT infrastructure. This will provide you with a working understanding of how your new equipment works, as well as how it will interact with the old equipment. An efficient training process will facilitate a seamless transition, guaranteeing that your business will be up and running smoothly the next day.

Relocation is already stressful enough without having to worry about the safe transportation of your company’s equipment. Office moves can be a minefield of complications when dealing with them on your own.

SecureIT boasts a team of certified and highly experienced professionals who are on hand to provide your business with an airtight relocation strategy. So, why not hire industry experts to handle your valuable IT hardware? Call SecureIT today and release your in-house staff from the burden of tedious configurations and updates.

5 Things to Consider when Choosing a Managed Services Provider

Leave a reply

If your company lacks the in-house capabilities to maintain a robust IT infrastructure, or if the costs are simply too high to sustain, enlisting the help of a managed services provider could save you both time and money, and ultimately be of considerable benefit in the long run.

As malicious attacks grow more sophisticated by the day, companies of all sizes continue to fight an ongoing struggle to defend against them. Regardless of the business, most company databases hold sensitive customer and in-house data which, if accessed, has the potential to result in devastating losses. Not only could data theft have disastrous financial implications, it may also result in a halt to operations and a loss of business.

Most companies recognise the need for airtight data security, but few have the expertise or the means to guarantee it on a 24/7 basis. Staying abreast of the latest security software and hardware is a constant cycle of expenses, maintenance and staffing adjustments, leaving little or no time for essential strategy planning. This may lead to issues down the road which could have been avoided. For this reason, opting for a MSP to monitor IT operations has increasingly become an obligatory move for businesses seeking to drastically cut costs and consolidate their IT requirements under one roof.

Before deciding on a managed services provider, there are a few factors which you should always take into account.

 

Support That is Customer-Driven

While technical specifications are important, a successful partnership with a MSP depends on mutual collaboration, support and openness. Large MSPs with a number of big names on their roster have a tendency to be less attentive toward their clients, owing to the relative ease with which they can replace lost customers. Then there is the smaller MSP with fewer clients, customisable plans, and a particularly specialised and condensed expertise. With fewer people to wade through, this could result in an increased level of support for your business, a better rapport, and an attitude which is more open to negotiation. On the other hand, you want to be sure that the staff size is big enough to deliver services in a speedy and robust manner. Establish how prepared they are to offer round-the-clock availability and support for whenever an issue may arise, whether by chat, phone or email. This peace of mind will be invaluable as you focus your attentions on your core business – and remember, a prominent name does not always equal better service.

Cost & Flexibility

One of your primary concerns as you search for a suitable MSP will be the cost of your plan – yet many businesses overlook the fact that one size does not fit all. Although you may naturally gravitate towards the lowest rates, you must be sure that the plan is tailored to fit your specific needs, and not just the needs of your MSP. Don’t accept an out-of-the-box package with sneaky hidden costs if it doesn’t satisfy your requirements. Be prepared for growth or unexpected changes within your business – particularly in the current economic climate; choose a plan which is flexible and affords you the option to easily expand or scale down your IT operations. Ensure the MSP is focused on accommodating your budget and don’t be afraid to negotiate the financial details with them.

Expertise

Naturally, you want to entrust your IT operations with a team of technicians who have the proper credentials and experience. Establish that your potential MSP is an industry expert and is familiar with the software your business intends to use. An MSP’s job is to stay ahead of the curve, anticipating your business’s needs and adapting to the next generation of IT software and hardware.

Transparency

In addition to a clear cut price plan, you must also examine details such as your prospective MSPs security and data policies, managed service level agreements and their terms of service. This will prevent nasty surprises like downtime during critical peak business periods and loss of client data. A good MSP will recognise your need to have easy access to your data, as well as a clear insight and evidence of the processes carried out. This will be displayed in the transparency with which they put forth the services provided, teamed with an approach that removes any ambiguity or concerns for you, the client. If an MSP isn’t initially forthcoming with these details, then take the situation by the reigns and begin asking the right questions.

Network Ownership

The value of network ownership when browsing MSPs cannot be overstated. In order to efficiently deliver reliable connectivity to all clients, MSPs must have a secure and powerful network operating 24/7. This will enable them to quickly and directly address any unexpected problems, while taking responsibility of the overall system.

Why should you choose SecureIT as your managed services provider?

SecureIT has a team of approachable and highly trained professionals who can guarantee a smooth transition from in-house IT management to a managed services operation. You won’t have to worry about unnecessary hidden extras in your plan; our services are ready to be tailored specifically to your day-to-day needs.

Whether you’d like to assign a portion of your IT operations, or export your infrastructure in its entirety, we are highly flexible and allow you the freedom to create a package on your own terms. At SecureIT, we believe in building relationships based on trust and mutual respect with our clients. This in turn enables us to deliver top-rate customer support and ensure that you are never left in the dark over the status of your data.

No Cure Yet for the Heartbleed Bug

Leave a reply

Although news of the Heartbleed vulnerability is now a month old, it has been revealed by the Errata Security blog that 318,000 servers remain open to exploitation, presenting fraudsters with ample opportunity to do their worst as a result. While online giants like Facebook, Gmail and Yahoo!Mail were quick to patch up the problem within their own systems, there is still a question mark over the servers of smaller vendors around the globe.

Heartbleed works by exploiting a flaw in the widely used OpenSSL Internet security technology (versions 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f), thereby gaining access to reams of data associated with millions of Internet users around the world. From credit card details to social insurance numbers, hackers in-the-know were privy to all manner of personal information since as far back as 2012 – and often without leaving a trace. What’s more, OpenSSL technology is used in the administration of areas such as public transport and power grids, prompting many public authorities to feel as though they’ve dodged a bullet.

What can you do to protect your data?

Today, as analysis continues on the impact and scope of this catastrophic flaw, concerned Internet users have been left puzzled over the status of their information. While websites work to implement patches, as well as the large-scale revoking and reissuing of SSL certificates (Small data files which encrypt sensitive information), experts have advised users to reset their passwords on patched sites, and pay close attention to vendors’ notices regarding their immunity to the bug. If they have not yet released a statement on the issue, then it is likely they are still working on applying patches, or have yet to address the matter. In this case, changing passwords on unprotected sites will not guarantee your data safety.

It is important for Internet users to understand that Heartbleed is not a virus which can be detected and removed by antivirus software. The bug is a fundamental error in the software which devices use to communicate with one another – meaning that just one weak link could potentially open the floodgates for significant exploitation. Some have chosen to abandon the OpenSSL software entirely, deeming the flaw so deeply rooted in the code that it is simply beyond repair.

While the vast majority of major websites are now protected against Heartbleed, millions of pages and smartphone Android apps still remain vulnerable. In addition, Internet users should be aware that websites for smaller businesses, such as B&Bs or restaurants, may be less vigilant with regard to their cybersecurity, leading experts to conclude that the situation will continue for months – perhaps even years – to come.

Internet Explorer Admits to Massive Vulnerability

Leave a reply

SecureIT is advising all users to immediately stop using all versions of the Internet Explorer Web Browser. Microsoft has admitted to a massive vulnerability that may allow hackers to gain access to your computer through remote code execution.

The flaw will only be exploited if the user visits specific websites or open attachments deliberately designed to exploit the vulnerability.

For regular users please ensure your Windows operating system and anti-virus is up to date. Stop using Internet Explorer. We advise using Google Chrome as an alternative to IE.

Advanced users can install EMET (The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit). This will stophackers being able to using the exploit. EMET requires installation & configuration.

See more information here:

Download Google Chrome
The Enhanced Mitigation Toolkit
Symantec Report