As a business evolves its IT systems need to evolve with it. This has become even more apparent over the last few years as businesses of all sizes have had to become more flexible and adaptable to succeed. Unfortunately, some businesses don’t have the in-house resource or expertise to manage these changes and this is where bridging the gap and partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to oversee all your IT requirements comes in.

In this article we look at the benefits of partnering with a Managed IT Services Provider.

Minimise Downtime

IT downtime can have a direct impact on your bottom line and ongoing business operations. Servers can fail, computers can malfunction, or system attacks can take out your network and data. An in-house team may not have the experience to resolve these issues effectively, or the resource to respond to these swiftly. However, an MSP can help your business adopt a proactive approach to your IT infrastructure. For example, we offer a professional support package which includes proactive monitoring of every workstation (laptop and desktop), as well as servers. This package monitors connectivity, disk space, security, backup failures and will also identify and fix any issues before they impact on your business. An MSP also has the resource to respond quickly to these threats and can help you put a disaster recovery plan in place to help mitigate the impact of any downtime. 

A Team of Experts

Your company may have an individual or a team in place to manage your IT and who are familiar with your existing systems. However, they may not have the necessary expertise or skills to operate new or updated systems and take on new responsibilities. An MSP will give you access to a team of diverse and knowledgeable experts who possess specialised skills and can provide extra resource to support a business’s current team or fill any gaps in their expertise, whilst also helping them to keep up to date with the latest technology trends and information.

Access to the Latest Technology

Technology is constantly evolving, and it can be difficult to discern what type of equipment or software is right for your business. Companies can make the mistake of investing in the wrong infrastructure or lack the expertise to manage it.  An MSP will keep you updated on the latest industry trends and technologies and advise on which software is worth investing in. They will also take responsibility for the maintenance and upgrades of the systems involved.

24/7 Managed IT Support

It is essential for IT systems to be monitored constantly to prevent issues from occurring. An MSP will typically run a help desk 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning support is always available when customer’s need it.

Security

As cyber-attacks increase in frequency and sophistication, IT teams can struggle to deal with them. An MSP will have a team of experts with access to the latest tools and techniques to keep your business protected from data loss, hacking etc.

Acting as a trusted IT solutions partner to our clients; we provide reliable managed IT and advanced technology solutions. Our team of experts have their fingers on the pulse of the technology industry and changing business landscape and will ensure you have the most sophisticated and best suited solutions for your business.

If you are looking for a North East Managed Services Provider, look no further than Bowe Digital. To find out more about our services, please get in touch today.

Regardless of the sector you operate in or the size of your business, when your operations rely on technology and access to data, it is crucial that your systems are always available and performing as required. If you have a system failure, the impact on your business can be catastrophic and can extend beyond financial consequences.

What causes downtime?

A common cause of downtime is ransomware attacks, which utilise encryption to hold the victims’ data at ransom, for a sum decided by the attacker. In the first four months of 2021, the National Cyber Security Centre handled the same number of ransomware incidents as they did in the entirety of 2020, with as many as one in three businesses being subject to cyber breaches.

A large number of businesses believe they are unlikely to be a victim of these, however a recent article from IT Pro warns that small businesses are more likely to be a victim of ransomware attacks in 2022 as cyber criminals begin utilising campaigns less likely to draw direct action from law enforcement.

Another leading cause of downtime, and one not always considered by businesses, is human error. Tech Radar details a famous example of this with the outage at British Airways in 2017. This was caused by an IT technician switching off an uninterruptable power supply, grounding 200 flights and leaving 75,000 customers stranded (Financial Times). The risk of human error causing business disruption and outages can be mitigated with proper training, but this does not eliminate the chance of it happening.

With ransomware attacks and the possibility of human error, as well as other common causes of downtime such as outdated hardware and bugs in a server’s OS, it makes sense to consider investing in solutions.

The true cost of downtime

From halting production or business operations to financial losses, data breaches and reputational damage – the true cost of downtime can be extensive.

In 2021 a study from the Phonemon Institute found the average cost of a data breach in the UK was £3.5million. However, it is important to note that it’s not just the cost of not being operational for hours or days that impact a business. One of the biggest consequences and cost factors in downtime is data loss which can cause ongoing problems for businesses.

The loss of customer and employee data can erode trust in a business and raise questions around security and GDPR. This can lead to people being less likely to use the business in the future and may make prospective employees wary of joining the company. This can affect customer loyalty and the business’s reputation in the long-term.

There are a wide range of factors that affect how much an outage will cost your business, from the amount of data on critical business systems and how regularly the data is backed up to the number of employees and business turnover.

We used a downtime calculator to estimate the cost of downtime to a business with no disaster recovery and backup solutions in place. In addition, the business has:

Data on business-critical systems: 2,500 GB

Cloud back up frequency: 12 hours

Employees: 40

Average employee salary: £25,000 pa

Average employee overhead: £10,000

Annual turnover: £500,000

It is anticipated that this business would experience more than 81 hours of downtime, costing £59,284. If the recovery process failed, it would cost the business an additional £8,700 per recovery attempt.

If the business had a disaster recovery and backup solution in place, they could have saved approximately £58,848. Recovery costs could be reduced to £1,734, and the business could be operational within 36 minutes.

Disaster recovery and backup solutions

Investing in disaster recovery and backup solutions can protect your business against substantial losses because of downtime. We provide a wide range of disaster recovery and backup solutions which can help protect your business from the impact of downtime and facilitate a speedy recovery. This includes software such as Datto SaaS Protection for Office 365 and Datto Siris.

We also offer preventative solutions such as training and cyber security software as well as ongoing IT support. Our professional IT support aims to prevent any issues before they occur, by utilising proactive monitoring software to spot faults and fix them before they escalate.

In many instances a small monthly fee for a back up and recovery solution can save a business thousands of pounds and minimise time offline. The cost of getting the right solutions and policies, far outweighs the cost in downtime – making these solutions an investment for the long term.

Find out more about the solutions we offer here.

As we kick off the new year many businesses are refreshing their business plans. But have you considered the crucial role that IT plays?

Whether your 2022 business planning starts in January, or the new financial year, it’s never too early or too late to think about how IT can support you in meeting your objectives.

We offer a range of transformative solutions which can help you meet your business objectives. This includes cloud solutions, software, cyber security, and IT support services.

Below are some examples of the many business areas and objectives our IT solutions and services can support:

  • Hybrid/Remote Working – Covid-19 has accelerated, and in some instances forced, a move to remote or hybrid working. As a Microsoft Partner, we offer Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Teams – allowing you to work from anywhere and collaborate online.
  • Disaster Recovery – In addition to Microsoft 365, we can help you protect the data you entrust to the cloud with Datto SaaS Protection for Office 365.  A cloud-to-cloud backup product, Datto SaaS Protection offers an all-in-one backup, restore and export solution for Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint Online. We provide business continuity and disaster recovery solutions at prices affordable to SMEs, so you can protect your business whatever the size.
  • Business Continuity – As part of our Professional IT support, we utilise proactive monitoring software which is always analysing the performance of our customer’s system. This means that any faults are detected immediately and areas which could become an issue are resolved before our customers feel any impact. This often saves valuable time and mitigates the financial impact of any downtime or outages – supporting your business continuity.
  • Increased Efficiency – We offer a range of cloud solutions and software to help you increase efficiency. This includes Draycir, a software which helps to reduce your workload by streamlining credit control and document management; Webexpenses, an award-winning cloud software for smarter expenses management; and our very own Bakery and Production Software (BaPS), which was designed to streamline and automate business management processes for bakeries, retailers, and wholesale food businesses.
  • Cyber Security – Robust cyber security is essential to all businesses, and we offer a range of solutions. This includes support for Cyber Essentials, a government-backed scheme, which helps organisations defend against the most common cyber threats. In addition, many organisations, particularly those in heavily regulated sectors such as finance and defence, require those in their supply chain to demonstrate the security of their systems. Cyber Essentials can support you in evidencing and reassuring your customers that your cyber systems are secure.

Whether you are seeking to strengthen your business contingency plans, reinforce cyber security, streamline processes, improve productivity, or enhance communications – our IT solutions and services can help!

To find out how your IT software and systems can better help you achieve your business ambitions, contact our team.

Microsoft has announced that it will be increasing its prices for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform SKUs from 1st of March 2022, as well as introducing a New Commerce Experience (NCE).

The changes to the commercial pricing for Microsoft 365, which are the first substantive pricing updates since Office 365 launched a decade ago, reflect the shift towards hybrid working and support the advances in Office 365 and Microsoft 365.

The New Commerce Experience, the NCE ‘Per Seat’ model, is a licensing model which is based on the number of ‘seats’/people who use the software. The aim of this approach is to reduce licensing complexity and provide flexibility for future growth. NCE per Seat will be available for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform SKUs with terms of 1 month, 1 year or 3 years.

1 month subscription

  • Benefits – Useful for seasonal businesses or those with uncertain workforce patterns, the 1-month commitment offers flexibility.
  • Term – One full month with no pro-rata refunds.
  • Price – 20% higher than the 12 month subscription.
  • Seat changes – Seats can be increased at any time. You cannot decrease the number of licenses/reduce your seat count during the subscription term.

12 month subscription

  • Benefits – The 12-month term commitment allows you to secure a fixed cost for one year.
  • Term – Twelve months with no pro-rata refunds.
  • Price – In line with current pricing.
  • Seat changes – Seats can be increased at any time. You cannot decrease the number of licenses/reduce your seat count during the subscription term.

36 month subscription

  • Benefits – The 36-month term commitment allows you to secure a fixed cost for three years.
  • Term – Thirty-six months with no pro-rata refunds.
  • Price – In line with current pricing.
  • Seat changes – Seats can be increased at any time. You cannot decrease the number of licenses/reduce your seat count during the subscription term.

Please note, Microsoft will not provide pro-rata refunds for the early termination of any subscription in NCE Per Seat outside of an initial 72-hour cancellation window.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a Microsoft 365 customer of Bowe Digital, a member of our team will be in touch with you to discuss the changes in more detail. In the meantime, if you have any concerns or questions about the changes, please contact us.

Cyber attacks can be extremely damaging to businesses, not only by disrupting day-to-day operations, but they can also be harmful to a company’s reputation, particularly if they result in compromising client data. It is crucial that your business has reliable cyber security measures in place, from a provider you can trust, to combat cyber threats and protect your business’s operations and reputation.

What is a Cyber Attack?

A cyber attack is an assault, launched by cybercriminals, that can disable computers, steal data, or use a breached computer as a launch point for other attacks. Cyber attacks can be launched in a variety of different ways, including malware, phishing, ransomware, and denial of service, among other methods.

Almost 40% of businesses had a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months, as reported by The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021. Most cyber attacks are permitted by human error, by system users choosing a password that is easy to figure out or not changing the default password on devices such as routers.

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber security is the application of technologies, processes, and controls to protect systems, networks, programs, devices, and data from cyber attacks. It reduces the risks of cyber attacks and protects against the unauthorised exploitation of systems, networks and technologies.

The most effective cyber security is made up of several layers of protection, such as:

  • Using multiple strong passwords
  • Implementing two factor authentication
  • Installing anti-virus software
  • Developing a backup and disaster recovery plan
  • Ensuring all employees are trained in your business’s cyber security protocol
  • Ensuring all software updates and patches are completed regularly

How can we help?

Based in the North East, we provide a range of IT services and transformative technology solutions which includes cyber security, as well as cloud solutions, hardware, networking, software and IT support services, to help your business increase productivity, improve performance, enhance connectivity, and reinforce security.

We safeguard your business and mitigate the risk of cyber threats with our robust and reliable cyber security solutions. This includes Datto SIRIS Disaster Recovery and Back-Up systems, and Webroot Antivirus Protection software. Datto SIRIS is a robust business continuity solution that brings together state of the art hardware with a secure cloud storage capability. Webroot’s Antivirus Protection protects against threats across email, browsers, files, URLs, ads, apps, and more in real time. It enables endpoint management anywhere, anytime, online.

We also offer Datto SaaS cloud backup for Microsoft 365 to provide you with peace of mind and mitigate the impact of a cyber attack. Datto SaaS, a leading cloud-to-cloud backup product, protects the data you entrust to the cloud. It offers an all-in-one backup, restore and export solution that covers Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint Online.

In addition, we can support you in achieving your Cyber Essentials certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of Government Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ).

You can have peace of mind with Bowe Digital’s technical experts and cyber security solutions protecting your business.

Get in touch with our specialists today to find out more about how we can protect your organisation against cybercriminals here.

Our mission is to enable our customers to realise their ambitions through the provision and application of advanced technology. We offer a wide range of innovative and transformative IT solutions across the North-East to help your business increase productivity, improve performance, enhance connectivity, and reinforce security. This includes IT support, cyber security solutions, software, cloud systems and more.

Below are just some of the many services and software we offer.

IT Solutions

We understand IT systems are crucial to the running of your business, so we offer two IT support packages based on your needs. Both our IT Support Standard and IT Support Professional offer an audit of your network and infrastructure, phone and remote dial in support, webinar and seminar invitations, managed updates for servers and computers and more. Our Professional IT Support package offers onsite support, as well as Webroot antivirus protection, quarterly reports and proactive IT monitoring, to keep your systems running smoothly.

Microsoft 365 Installation and Migration

We offer Microsoft 365 Installation and Migration, which allows you to share and create anywhere, on any device, by combining best-in-class apps like Excel and Outlook with powerful cloud services like OneDrive and Microsoft Teams.

Cyber Security

We can help you to protect the data you entrust to the cloud with Datto SaaS Protection for Office 365, a leading cloud-to-cloud backup product offering an all-in-one backup, restore and export solution that covers Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint Online. We work in partnership with Datto to provide business continuity and disaster recovery solutions at a price affordable to SMEs, so you can protect your business whatever the size.

We also offer antivirus protection with Webroot, which provides endpoint protection that secures your business by harnessing machine learning, classifying, and scoring 95% of the internet three times a day, to keep your information safe.

Certifications

Protect your organisation against cyber-attacks and demonstrate your commitment to cyber security with advice and certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of Government Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ). We can support you in achieving your certification.

VoIP

Also known as Hosted Telephony, VoIP refers to the idea of making calls over the internet as data rather than a traditional analogue phone system, which can significantly reduce call costs particularly when making international calls.

VoIP allows users to make international calls without the expensive rates non-VoIP users receive. With calls moving as data, a business using Packnet would be able to get free calls between employees in different countries. Calling VoIP-to-VoIP is becoming the more cost-effective option with straightforward charges as VoIP users do not have to rely on a fixed monthly fee.

Training

Training is an integral part of the service which we offer. We include training in all new business proposals to ensure that the end user feels comfortable using their chosen product to its full potential. We also provide expert training on all our software products including BaPS and Microsoft.

Hardware

We have extensive knowledge and a breadth of experience to draw on when choosing the best hardware for your business. We can also advise you on which new hardware will work best with your current equipment, saving you time and money.

To find out more about how we can help your business with our extensive IT solutions and services, contact us here.

Your IT systems are crucial to the running of your business, so it makes sense to ensure those systems run smoothly with good IT support.

When it comes to IT, reactive support resolves issues once they have occurred. Proactive support aims to prevent any issues from occurring or escalating.

For Bowe Digital, this means that even when our clients don’t call upon us, our proactive monitoring software is checking the performance of their system. The software monitors every workstation, whether a laptop or a desktop, and if it spots a fault, it fixes it. If it can’t, it raises a ticket which is picked up and actioned by one of our engineers within 30 minutes for business-critical issues or within one hour for non-business-critical issues.

Our proactive monitoring software tracks key areas such as connectivity, disk space, security, backup failures and more.

Our proactive IT support isn’t just limited to hardware. Cyber security threats constantly pose a risk to businesses, therefore proactive support is just as critical as reactive support. That is why, as part of our Professional IT support package we offer our clients Webroot. Webroot’s Business Antivirus Protection protects against threats across email, browsers, files, URLs, ads, apps, and more, in real time. It enables endpoint management anywhere, anytime, online. Webroot offers protection utilising machine learning which classifies and scores 95% of the internet 3 times per day. This gives our customers peace of mind that their systems are safe.

What are the benefits of proactive IT support?

Proactive IT support ensures your systems are performing optimally at all times. As our proactive monitoring software is always analysing the performance of our customer’s system, any faults are detected immediately. This means that areas which could become an issue are resolved before our customers feel any impact, often saving valuable time and mitigating the financial impact of any downtime or outages.

We also take a proactive approach to the service we provide our customers. Committed to developing long-term relationships with our customers we take the time to truly understand their objectives, processes, and ambitions. In addition, our team of technical engineers have their fingers on the pulse of the technology industry. These factors allow us to anticipate our customers’ needs and review and refine the services offered, all to ensure they are receiving the best suited solution to meet their requirements.

As a leading IT support company, Bowe Digital recognises that all businesses are different and therefore we offer a choice of IT support. We have our IT Support Standard, and our IT Support Professional package which includes proactive IT monitoring.

For IT support in Newcastle upon Tyne, or the wider North East area, contact us.

One of the downsides of being in a remote region in the world like the Australian outback or even in some rural villages is the slow speeds of internet where fibre hasn’t quite reached yet or isn’t economically viable to do so.

Elon Musk and Space X looks to solve all these issues with satellite internet constellation called Starlink.

What is Starlink?

The Starlink constellation will consist of thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit, working in unison with ground transceivers.

The satellites can be used by you and me, military or even specialist research, allowing faster connections all over the world and in some of the most inhabitable environments where internet signal could prove to be a life saver. The cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation was estimated by SpaceX in May 2018 to be at least US$10 billion.

As of September 2020, SpaceX was launching up to 60 satellites at a time, aiming to deploy 1,584 of the 260 kg (570 lb) spacecraft to provide near-global service by late 2021 or 2022.

Last month Space X confirmed Starlink is now available in parts of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England,” which is in addition to existing service areas across Southern England.

As more and more satellites are launched, the areas which are currently hit, and miss will receive better connection and better signal.

How many satellites will Space X launch?

ITs reported that by 2024, there might be as many as 4,425 in operation, exploding to 12,000 around 2026.

How much does this space age internet cost then?

Customers typically pay £89 per month for the service itself, plus £54 for shipping and £439 for the kit (dish, router etc.). It may not be the cheapest but if you are suffering from exceptionally poor internet, it may be worth considering.

How fast is fast?

During beta, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s over the next several months as Starlink system is enhanced. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all, which is unfortunate but that should only be until a satellite becomes in range in low earth orbit.

As Space X launch more satellites, install more ground stations, and improve the networking software, data speed, latency and uptime will improve dramatically.

So, there you have it.  Do you suffer from extremely poor broadband in a rural area? Would you pay £89 per month?  Let us know in the comments.

 

As an IT business our eye has always been on both elements as in many respects, they are equal in importance to a business.  However, in modern terms, what do they actually mean and what role do they play in your day to day operations.

We consider it essential to talk about this whole subject in a new way given events over recent months, where businesses have had to respond to a massive change in working practices leading companies to look again at the safety of their data and company information whilst remaining operational.

In this blog we look to clarify how and why a business needs to look at the subject of BCDR (Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery)

How do you define Business Continuity?

Our clear approach to this is more about company structure and working practices. A business needs a clear set of policies and procedures so that when an event occurs, the team know what to do, how and when.  It is vital that they can remain working in a way that enables communication and collaboration with their team.

  • Ensure there is a reliable remote access for the team
  • Ensure team members can file share
  • Ensure the “on site” infrastructure can be achieved

An example of us being involved here would be to ensure you are working with Microsoft Teams which gives you total flexibility and means that anywhere, anytime saying really can apply.  This forms part of a business’s strategy in Business Continuity.  We work closely with many clients on their continuity plan and ensure their IT infrastructure is set up to respond to change.

How do you define Disaster Recovery?

We believe that disaster recovery is part of Business Continuity and is one of the actions that needs to be carried out to recover data should an interruption or event take place.   Many businesses still operate without a back-up plan in place which is a shocking statistic given the level of security threat posed to businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.  A business needs to get software installed and have a person identified as responsible for ensuring that the correct procedures are followed to ensure safe retrieval of data.

An example of how we can support here would be to install Datto on all your devices.  This is a top end solution and can back up all your data including a version specifically for Microsoft 365.  We have a range of solutions available that can all form part of your overall Business Continuity Plan.

Our advice is to ensure you have a plan and have clear communication in your organisation.

For any questions about putting together a business continuity plan, contact our team today on 0191 214 1750.
Datto Cloud Backup

What is Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)?

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is a security system in which to gain access to a specific resource you need to provide two or more forms of identification. Some examples of this may be entering your password in addition to either a pin code sent to your mobile device, an authentication app, a fingerprint or a security key.

The majority of security breaches are due to insecure passwords. MFA helps prevent this as with a username and password alone, an attacker will not be able to gain access to a secure system or resource. This is because although they may have compromised the username and password, they still lack the second factor required to gain access.

So why implement Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)?

  • According to Microsoft, when you implement MFA your accounts are up to 99.9% less likely to be compromised
  • Implementing MFA can be low cost, or even free, depending which service(s) you use
  • MFA can give you peace of mind that your data is secure when being accessed from locations other than the office
  • MFA is generally very easy to use
  • Small businesses are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. MFA makes it much harder for them and is easily rolled out
  • Users are already becoming accustomed to using MFA for things like online banking

 

MFA is highly recommended by IT Security professionals:

  • Alex Weinert, Microsoft’s Group Program Manager for Identity Security and Protection says, “Your password (rules) don’t matter, but MFA does. Go turn on MFA if you haven’t.”
  • Symantec have said that 80% of security breaches could be prevented by using MFA
  • The National Centre for Cyber Security (NCSC) in the UK recommend the use of MFA
  • We at Bowe Digital use MFA in order to access Microsoft 365, Webroot, our RMM service and more

 

In conclusion, implementing MFA is definitely a step you should take in order to protect your business. The benefits of implementing MFA outweigh the drawbacks and it is an easy way to improve your security.

Contact us today for advice on how you can enforce MFA and protect your company.