Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure connection between two or more computers or devices that allows data to be transmitted and received over the internet without being exposed to malicious actors. It is commonly used to protect personal information, such as passwords and financial data, as well as provide access to restricted networks and websites.

We’ve said it several times before. The last line of defense for almost all bad things in IT is a good backup. Does it make sense that your Microsoft 365 data…emails, contacts, calendars, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams…should absolutely be backed up and protected. Is it (I hear you cry)?

Traditional on-premises is the server that is in your basement closet. Where you are responsible for everything. So it is like you are making a pizza from scratch at home. You are responsible for everything like the table, soda, electricity, and everything down to the toppings.

Spoiler alert: Get rid of Flash. Ok, here's the thing. Adobe Flash was an add-on to most web browsers back in the day. It really enabled web sites to do a lot. It especially makes it easier for bad guys to do bad things.

What’s the difference between Break Fix and Managed Services? Let’s compare them against each other (with plusses and minuses). Of course we’re specifically talking as these concepts relate to IT resources for organizations.

CompTIA is one of the largest nonprofit organizations that is not vendor owned or controlled. Most people think of CompTIA in terms of personal certifications for IT, but they have another component as well. They develop resources, offer guidance, and provide assistance to organizations on how to best utilize their IT from productivity, security, and emerging technologies.

Our Foundational IT Assessment covers 4 key areas of your IT: Your network, Microsoft 365, Cyber Security, Cyber Insurance. This takes about 2 hours of “run time” and we can do it remotely or on site. We don’t install any software and it’s non-invasive.

Password managers are amazing. These smart applications make great security easy for you and your team. They generate long random passwords for all the software you use, so you’re never tempted to reuse a password. Then, they remember these passwords for you, and even autofill logins.

You may have heard the term “algorithm” circulated more and more lately, and like all newly emerging technologies, there are some fears and stigmas attached, some warranted, some not. But what is an algorithm? An algorithm is simply a set of instructions given to precisely define a sequence of some kind. That’s pretty much it!

CoMITs is actually a made-up term. And I should know, since I'm the guy who made it up. Co-Managed IT is a collaborative relationship between a Managed Service Provider and the Internal IT resources for an organization. The MSP provides a ton of tools and resources for the Internal IT folks to take advantage of. We call those STMPs, which stands for “Software, Tools, Methodologies and Portals”.

For the sixth year, Simplex-IT has been recognized by The Case Weatherhead awards! Yup, Simplex-IT is a winner of the Weatherhead 100 award for 2022.

Ok, if you have any conversations about cyber security, you’ll hear the term “authentication.” It sounds important, but what is authentication?

“The Server is down.” Yeah, we hate to hear that. Because downtime is expensive. But how expensive? That’s a really important number that we ignore way too much. Downtime. Lost productivity! Unhappy customers! Shop floor at a standstill!

So, what happens when your organization suffers from some kind of breach such as encryption theft or destruction? Does your organization have data backups or an incident response plan?

I want to show you something that we just received that is actually kind of funny. Spoiler alert it's bad guys trying to get us to give them money and we foiled it. I will show you how!

Here at Simplex-IT we’ve developed our services around an annual cycle. We consistently watch the market for emerging technologies, evaluate, and then select the best options for our clients. Each year we modify our agreements to include the appropriate new and updated services. We call this Simplex-IT Managed Services, or SiMS for short.

There are three areas where MSP’s often have more flexibility and potential value than an internal IT department. Let’s talk about staffing, tools and standards and future technologies.

Shadow IT is a term given to IT resources…hardware, software, subscriptions, services…that are used by an organization without the knowledge of whoever’s handling IT or cybersecurity for the organization.

Keep in mind Shadow IT isn’t necessarily evil. Or destructive. It’s…well, honestly you don’t know what it is. And that’s the problem.

Every time you log onto your computer, you’re doing so with your “User Account”. That’s not just your user name and password. It’s all of the setting specific to your account. Some of it’s about how programs should behave. Some of it’s about security.

My dad was an insurance salesguy. From all accounts he was a pretty successful one. He liked to talk with potential clients about what would make his services a bad fit right out of the gate. So, in honor of my Dad, let’s talk about 5 reasons why your organization might not want to use an MSP for their IT support needs.