Through our extensive IT assessment, we will document
your network operation’s health with our evaluation
summary. We will then educate you on our findings and
empower you to make decisions on implementing a plan
of action for your current and future needs.
THE STATISTICS ARE ALARMING
IT Assessment
The IT Assessment is a process used to gather a precise, unbiased and expansive understanding of an organization’s IT infrastructure, assets, performance and costs. The
highly analytical information and insight resulting from an IT Assessment differs from
Statistics show the impact of the IT-related
risks impacting SMBs in profound ways:
other, more general “network analyses” which often overlook critical deficiencies, don’t
take business objectives into account, or fail to address specific customer concerns,
and overlook future technology needs and growth.
Latent Vulnerabilities and Threats Can Have Disastrous Results
Security breaches, data loss and disasters are unfortunate realities that most businesses will experience at some point in time, yet a vast majority of business owners
possess a false sense of immunity from such threats. Even in light of recent and constant high profile security breaches, scandals, disasters and data loss in billion dollar
corporations, many small and medium size businesses (SMBs) still rely precariously on
old, legacy firewalls and out-of-the-box “fail-proof” backup systems, which are alarmingly insufficient for protecting their most valuable business assets.
According to a recent study by Ponemon Research Institute, 90% of all organizations surveyed have had a security breach in the last 12 months. More than half of the
CEO’s of those companies breached felt their IT infrastructure was “moderately to well
protected” from invasion prior to the security incident, but couldn’t elaborate as to
what kind of protections they had in place or how they knew they were sufficient.
When it comes to data security, backup and recovery, it’s not uncommon for business
owners and CEO’s to be under-informed of just how vulnerable their business really
is to the myriad of potential causes of data loss, including security breaches, viruses/
malware, hardware failures, current/former employee tampering and other “disasters”
that run rampant today.
The unfortunate side of businesses becoming
increasingly reliant on technology is that they
are simultaneously becoming more vulnerable
to security beaches and data loss. They’re also
more likely to incur exorbitant expenses associated with disaster recovery efforts.
• 48% of SMBs have experienced data loss
as a result of improper data backup and/or
inadequate disaster recovery plans.
• Almost a quarter of SMBs are likely to
declare a disaster in any given five-year
period.
• The average total cost of damages and
recovery for an SMB that incurs a disaster
is $1.4 million.
• Every hour of downtime costs an SMB an
average of $145,000.
• 90% of SMBs have experienced a security
breach within the last year.
• 59% of SMBs have suffered two or more
security incidences in that same time
period.
• 41% of SMBs reported the security breach
they experienced resulted in $500,000+ in
combined expenses.
An IT Assessment provides a clear picture of
the vulnerabilities within an IT infrastructure so
an optimized solution and maintenance plan
can be developed, and hundreds of thousands
of dollars in potential recovery and downtime
costs can be averted.
• How can a business owner or executive be sure their network is secure, their backup systems are functioning properly and their most sensitive, critical data is safe?
• How do they know if their IT infrastructure is optimally aligned with their specific
and ever-changing business needs?
• How can a non-technical business executive be really sure that “everything is
under control” related to IT systems, security, operations and costs?
Without knowing the risks and vulnerabilities lurking within a company’s IT infrastructure, it’s nearly impossible to know for sure how secure or stable it really is, let
alone develop an appropriate remediation and ongoing management strategy. Our
IT Assessment will reveal any deficiencies and risk factors so they can be objectively
addressed, investigated and resolved before they become dangerous liabilities with
detrimental and often business-threatening consequences.
Simplify your life.
Simplify your business.
An IT Assessment provides a complete analysis of the current health of every aspect of a company’s IT infrastructure, including all assets,
risk factors and potential vulnerabilities so that minor issues can be addressed before they become serious problems. Since the IT function’s
effectiveness is tied to the objectives of the business, the following three core components are addressed:
1.The Business Assessment examines the customer’s day-to-day
business operations and objectives in order to closely align the IT
function and infrastructure to the organization’s current and future
business needs.
2.The Physical Assessment reveals details of the hardware
environment and configuration, including the amount of IT and
imaging hardware, with information on age, manufacturers,
performance and output volumes. It also graphically represents
the physical layout of the network and servers to offer a better
understanding of the unique complexities of each customer’s IT
configuration.
3.The Technical Assessment thoroughly evaluates ten critical
components of the IT infrastructure and rates the current health
of each. Specific findings are rated on a gradual scale indicating
how much attention should be paid to each component. Urgency
level, as well as recommendations for improvement in areas
where risk factors and vulnerabilities are identified.
The Primary Critical Areas of Analysis includes:
1.Hardware and core applications summary – Age of all hardware, operating systems, and firewalls, as well as the warranty
and service provider information for all software and equipment.
2. Microsoft Updates – defines deficient service pack levels and
updates.
3. Security – Type of firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-malware and intrusion detection applications in use, as well as document handling,
terminal servers, password criteria and email security settings.
4. Disaster Preparedness – Frequency and method of local data backup on workstations, laptops and servers, as well as documented
disaster preparedness and offsite data recovery plans.
5.Network Stability, Reliability and Performance – Type of network configuration and growth potential, routine maintenance, and remote access to network, and bottlenecks in network infrastructure.
6. Internet – Internet Service Providers, speed, bandwidth and connectivity, as well as email hosting and storage, wireless connections and
internet usage policies.
7. Configuration Simplicity and Usability – Data center(s) utilization, server room setup, equipment labeling and ease of system use, as
well as help desk resources, network configuration and notification/resolution of tickets.
8. Compliance and Documentation – License compliance, auditing, retention and policy documentation.
9. Ongoing Maintenance – Current maintenance schedule, service providers and uptime policies.
10. IT Budget and Planning – IT spending and costs review, strategy and expansion planning.
The IT Assessment is the key to unlocking a complete understanding of an organization’s IT infrastructure so any necessary adjustments
can be identified and made to optimize the function’s performance and costs while optimally aligning with the specific needs and direction
of the business.
ABOUT SMILE BUSINESS PRODUCTS, INC
Smile Business Products, Inc. is a managed services provider that specializes in the procurement, assessment, repair, maintenance and
management of vital office technologies, such as computer networks and related servers, switches and workstations, multifunction printers
and copiers, scanners, and desktop printers. Smile deploys their services though a sophisticated and local network operating center, experienced and certified service engineers, and highly trained sales consultants, and has access to a array of world class technology products.
Visit us at www.smilebpi.com for more information