CMA Blog

Thoughts and updates on everything CMA

Top 5 Trends and Features to Look for in Your Next Video Surveillance System

If you’re considering upgrading to an IP video camera system, now is a great time to do so. With the increase of workplace-related crimes and malicious incidents on the rise, remote video monitoring is an ideal way for your organization’s security team to keep track of the facility. Today’s wireless video and tracking systems are getting not only smarter, but also cheaper. With that said, let’s take a look at the top 5 video surveillance trends and features.

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Make Data Protection Work for You

Over the years we've spoken with many IT teams that were tired of babysitting backups, replications, restore jobs, testing, and the remediation of all of these chores.  At CMA we've worked with all of the tools -  often several in the same datacenter.  Some are better at physical, others are good for that one app you can't get rid of, and then there's the HA or DR tool colliding with the backup you finally got to work. How can you accomplish reliable data protection on shrinking budgets, constrained technical staff, and the increasing importance of technology in your organization? Our solution is to consolidate with Veeam Availability Suite. 

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Does Your Small Business Really Need IT Support?

Small businesses often struggle with the best way to fulfill roles that are neither profit-generating nor related directly to business operations. Often these roles include finance/accounting, marketing and information technology (IT). In the earliest stages, the company owner or one of its first employees may undertake these tasks. With a mindset of “we all wear many hats” and do what it takes to help the fledgling business survive and grow, the impact of this cobbled-together approach is minimal: bills will get paid, invoices are sent out, computers are ordered and repairs undertaken… and through trial-and-error, these business essentials are maintained.

But then the company grows. Additional employees are hired, and larger projects are undertaken. More clients or customers mean everyone is busy keeping up, and these support roles may fall to the wayside.

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5 Major Managed IT Services Mistakes You’re Making Right Now

The quantity of data that every company faces is growing exponentially each year. In fact, a modern interpretation of Moore’s Law states that computing efficiency doubles every 18 months. (Source: MIT Technology Review

Whether or not technology continues to advance at this break-neck pace, businesses are constantly struggling with how best to keep up with frequent updates to hardware and software, and how to nimbly and efficiently manage their data, devices and users.

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Can You Manage IT Services On Your Own?


There’s always going to be someone in a company who takes it upon himself or herself to get involved with managed IT services. When those duties become part of that person’s job description, say Director of IT, that’s just perfect. Forget we said a word and continue with your business.

But, what’s more likely to happen is that fixing the system, tweaking the network or chasing a bug, takes someone away from their regular duties, and it may not necessarily be their full-time position. We can hear the muttering now – “If I wanted to work in IT all day, I’d still be doing it.”

According to this handy infographic from CMA Technology Solutions, you’ve now become an “Involuntary IT Manager,” a position that comes with all the headaches and none of the glory of an actual IT manager.

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Securing Your Business Against Data Theft

The daily news is full of stories dealing with data stolen from some of America’s largest and most recognizable brands.  In recent months we have seen network intrusions and data theft at Target, JP Morgan Chase, Home Depot and Dairy Queen.  You’ve seen these stories and probably are thinking these are all large companies with lots of valuable data; no wonder they are targets.  You might also be thinking don’t these companies have lots of really smart technology people who can protect that data?  Just goes to show you what a tough battle it is protecting your virtual assets from hackers and unscrupulous people.  What you should not be thinking however is this; if these big companies can’t do anything about it then why should I try?  After all my company is a small business and who wants my data?  Our experience tells us you might be amazed.

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Restoring Lost Data on Complex Networks

 

Every company needs to consider what they are doing to protect the data that’s being stored on their servers. It’s one thing to back up data at an individual user level. Backing up data on a much larger scale is something else entirely. Protocols have to be put in place that back up data at a server level without any user intervention. Backups have to be stored in another location in addition to the server. Organizations are making the decision to move their files to the cloud, but there are some distinct disadvantages to that approach. Cloud storage options are just as fragile as their hardware-based counterparts. It’s better to go with both cloud and physical storage to ensure that one of these backup options will remain viable.

Manually backing up data creates the risk that too much time will pass in between backup instances. The backup method that you choose has to back up data at least once per day if not continuously. You should be able to rest easy knowing that your data is backed up without you having to do anything to back it up. The worst thing about data backup is that people often think about it when it’s too late. They operate under the assumption that they will be able to avoid the catastrophic events that inevitably result in data loss. This nonchalant approach leads to them losing all their data in dramatic fashion.

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Hit Your Revenue Targets

When developing an IT solution, there’s no excuse for failing to meet revenue targets. You have to have contingency plans in place that address the possibility of IT systems falling apart. If your systems fail employees would have to be willing to work on their projects outside of the office in an effort to get them done on time. Asking employees to work outside of the office could result in a less than positive response. You have to hope that they’re willing to invest time that they could be spending with their families to finish a project you assigned them. In an effort to reduce the possibility that disasters of this nature will occur, you have to develop a network infrastructure and technical partnership where additional resources pick up the slack in the event of a disaster, outage or system failure.
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Benefits of Backing Up Your Data with a Managed Service Provider

Since just about everything in business has moved into the digital realm, organization and protection of company data is absolutely critical.  This means data about your customers, inventory, receivables, important files and the like. Similarly important is backing up this data, ensuring that copies of everything a company needs to remain in business will be available. This is where a managed services provider can be invaluable; the right managed services vendor is vital to a business and can deliver on many important technology fronts, none more important than protecting company data. Their system will become your company’s way of organizing, copying, and protecting all information. Having this backup safety net for everything your company could ever need is important, for the reasons listed below.

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