The smallest organizations may start out managing IT internally. But as a company grows, IT related tasks can become burdensome for staff, especially if IT is not their primary function. Similarly, as the technology needs of a company become more advanced and specific, business owners may decide to outsource these services.
Companies that are working with the government (either directly or indirectly further down the federal supply chain) should be compliant with the latest NIST 800-171 mandate as of December 31, 2017.
Cybersecurity and compliance are at the top of everyone’s list of most pressing business concerns and challenges. Threats can come from both inside and outside a company’s network. Companies across all industries are increasingly aware of their exposure to hacking attempts.
Depending on the customers you serve and the industry in which you operate, there may be mandates to which you must comply in regard to the security of data.
When it's time to retire IT assets, either due to hardware obsolescence or lease return, you may look at this activity as just another example of the cost of doing business. But wouldn't it be nice if you could actually benefit from disposal of assets? You can, if you do it right.
Now that the deadline to comply with the NIST 800-171 mandate has passed (as of December 31, 2017), hopefully you are sitting back, comfortable in the knowledge that you have taken the necessary steps to ensure your company is meeting the cybersecurity guidelines required by the Department of Defense (DoD), providing you a competitive advantage over other manufacturers.
While it may seem obvious why you should protect your data with backups, a professional approach to planning a defense requires that every conceivable threat is recognized and addressed by the solution you finally select. Data loss disasters have many causes and every one of them is too common to ignore.
IT executives at growing organizations frequently find that as the business prospers, their IT staff has less time to support critical business initiatives. When the number of end users increases, the IT team becomes stretched to the limit. By outsourcing your end user help desk, your IT staff can more readily concentrate on revenue-supporting activities.
As the technology needs of your company grow, business owners may struggle to decide whether to add internal IT staff or to outsource some of the IT responsibilities. There are several factors that will impact this decision.
