Understanding IT Compliance: Which Regulations Apply to Your Business?

Remaining compliant has always been a top concern for organizations. But thanks to new trends like BYOD and the Internet of Things (IoT), businesses are facing a whole new set of laws. New regulations are cropping up in every industry to combat security threats and protect customers’ personal information.

It can be confusing to figure out which regulations apply to your business — and whether you’re already compliant or need to make some serious changes. Failing to meet IT compliance can cost companies millions of dollars.

In this blog, we’ll discuss some of the most critical IT compliance regulations that may impact your business and what you can do to mitigate security breaches, legal issues and potential fines.

Why Is IT Compliance so Important?

While compliance has always been important to maintain, modern technology shifts have increased the need for stricter IT compliance. And refusing to follow regulations will not only cost you millions of dollars in fines – it can also put your customers’ and employees’ sensitive information at risk.

Four significant shifts are making it harder to stay compliant:

  • BYOD: Allowing your employees to use their personal devices for work could save you a lot of money. But without a proper BYOD policy in place, you also lose some of the necessary oversight to stay compliant.
  • Third-Party Vendor Management: Outside vendors help your business run — you can’t do everything on your own, and vendors can do everything from helping you with marketing to handling HR to maintaining your HVAC system. But transferring data to a third-party vendor can also introduce vulnerabilities, and many major data breaches occur for this reason. Any vendors you work with should also follow regulations to a T.
  • Software Updates: Today’s technology is constantly improving. As such, software companies release new updates frequently, and most of these are meant to resolve a vulnerability rather than add a cool new feature. Staying current with software updates will ensure your organization is safe and up to date with compliance.
  • IoT: The Internet of Things connects smart devices together, which can include everything from utilities to your security system for walking through the door. But security in IoT is a bit behind, so you need to make sure to frequently test the devices for breaches or connect the devices to a network that doesn’t have access to sensitive data.

7 IT Compliance Laws Your Business Should Be Aware Of

Now that you know why regulations are becoming more important — and more strict — you need to know what IT compliance laws exist and which ones will impact your organization. Here are the top seven regulations you should know about:

1. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

GDPR was implemented by Europe in mid-2018 to help regulate how companies use customer data to uphold privacy.

  • What Does It Regulate? The GDPR specifically regulates how companies manage personal data. It asks companies to have enterprise-wide data mapping and inventory, ensure third-party vendors are also compliant, regularly assess their privacy compliance programs and ensure data is only being accessed after an individual has “opted in.” It requires all companies to keep a record of data processing activities.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Any industry that collects, processes or stores personal data about European citizens or EU corporations and companies that offer goods or services in Europe.

2. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA was signed into law in 1996 in the United States, with updates and extensions being added over the years.

  • What Does It Regulate? HIPAA covers how healthcare organizations handle the transition of electronic data and the privacy of individual patients. It also safeguards the healthcare of people who are between jobs or who have been laid off.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? HIPAA specifically covers the healthcare industry, but it also affects any organization that deals with healthcare data. It includes employers and business associates who would have access to medical records for any reason.

3. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council is an individual body consisting of the major payment card brands (i.e., Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Discover and JCB). It was founded in 2006 to maintain its own security standards, known as the PCI-DSS.

  • What Does It Regulate? PCI-DSS manages and protects consumer payment information. It consists of 12 regulations that attempt to reduce fraud, especially during the transaction process.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Any company that accepts, processes, stores or transmits credit card information.

4. Sarbanes-Oxley Act

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was implemented to prevent the next Enron or WorldCom scandal from occurring. It was signed into US law in 2002.

  • What Does It Regulate? The Sarbanes Oxley Act requires organizations to keep financial records on file for seven years.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Any US public company boards, as well as management and public accounting firms.

5. Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)

FISMA was also signed into law in 2002 as a way to protect government information, operations and assets.

  • What Does It Regulate? This act made it necessary to see information security as part of national security, so it directs federal agencies to create methods for protecting that information.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Every federal agency.

6. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

Also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, the GLBA was created to allow commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies to operate within the same company. It also requires financial companies to tell customers what information they share and why.

  • What Does It Regulate? The GLBA regulates how financial services companies maintain and secure their customers’ and clients’ private data.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Financial institutions, including any company that offers a financial product or service to individuals — whether it be investment or financial advice, insurance or loans.

7. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA was enacted in 1974 in the US as a way to protect student education records.

  • What Does It Regulate? FERPA protects student records from the time they enter school to the time they leave — including post-secondary universities and colleges. It also regulates who is allowed to receive the individual’s records. For example, parents can request access to school records before a student turns 18, but those rights transfer once the student is of age.
  • Which Industries Does It Apply to? Any school that receives funds through the U.S. Department of Education.

How to Ensure Your Business Is IT Compliant

If you don’t meet IT compliance, at best, your organization could receive some hefty fines. But regulations are put in place for a reason — and that’s usually to protect consumers from having their data stolen. A data breach could not only cost you a lot of money, but it might also violate your customers’ trust, making it hard to keep your business afloat.

Compliance isn’t easy, especially when you’re already focused on everything else that comes with running a business. To keep these regulations from hanging over your head, partner with KMicro to manage your IT compliance.

We’re experts in helping businesses keep up with their IT compliance requirements and avoid fines and breaches. Whether you need help with software patches, implementing a BYOD policy or managing your third-party contracts, our team of IT security experts will help you meet all the necessary regulations and put your mind at ease.

Schedule an appointment with one of our IT experts or call us now for more information: 949-284-7264.

In-House Vs Outsourcing IT: How to Make the Right Choice for Your Business

Every modern business depends on technology to maintain a productive work environment – and technology requires expert IT staff to maintain, manage, deploy and secure.

Choosing whether to outsource your IT department or keep it in-house is not an easy decision. You have to consider cost, convenience, reliability and more. So which option is right for your business?

In this blog, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of keeping your IT department in-house vs. outsourcing it to a managed IT services company.

Benefits of In-House IT

Hiring a dedicated team or staff member who knows the ins and outs of your IT infrastructure has a few advantages.

1. They know your business inside and out. In-house IT staff understand how your team members use their computers and know your infrastructure in and out. They’re invested in your company’s success and have relationships with your employees, so they’ll be driven to create solutions that work for everyone.

2. They can respond quickly. When a disaster or problem strikes, time is of the essence. An in-house IT team can respond immediately when technical issues arise. With a simple tap on the shoulder or call to an extension, a staff member can start working on the issue quickly. Quick response times can reduce downtime and remediate potential damage before they cause more damage.

3. You have more control. You have more control over response times and the quality of work when IT is under your management. You can ensure your team is trained on the exact IT solutions you need and keep costs under control with a budget for that department.

While an in-house team might work slower than an outsourced IT company, that team can also come up with comprehensive solutions and the documentation that will go along with them, while an outsourced IT company might charge extra for additional projects.

Disadvantages of In-House IT

While keeping IT staff in-house has obvious benefits, you have some significant downsides to keep in mind.

1. It’s expensive. When you hire an IT staff member, you have to consider the cost of their payroll, benefits and onboarding. You also need to factor in the costs of continuous training and certification to keep your team current on the latest technologies.

According to PayScale, the average salary alone for an IT manager is more than $85,000 per year. IT professionals have very competitive wages because of their in-demand skills – so if your salary doesn’t match what they’ve seen online, you’ll have a hard time retaining talent.

2. It’s not always available. You won’t only need IT support during the regular nine-to-five work week. Emergencies can arise on weekends or after hours when your employees might not be available. And you will probably be expected to pay time-and-a-half for work during the holidays.

3. It will fall behind. Support tickets and critical software patches can pile up quickly — especially if your internal department is small or a staff member takes time off. As a result, instead of spending time keeping up with new trends and technologies, your staff is constantly putting out fires and addressing low-level support issues for non-technical staff members.

Benefits of Outsourcing IT

Outsourcing a portion or all of your IT department to an expert managed services company has many benefits.

1. You gain a team of experts. As mentioned above, hiring expert internal staff and keeping up with evolving IT needs is expensive and time consuming. Managed IT services providers offer a team of experts in every area of technology, from cybersecurity to system administration and data management.

Outsourced IT companies also have the equipment and technology partnerships needed to modernize your infrastructure, which keeps you from having to purchase assets that may become outdated in a few years.

2. You can access them 24/7. An in-house team might have faster response times, but that’s usually only the case during a typical workday.

A managed IT company will provide you with 24/7 support and emergency services, so even if you do experience downtime, you can get back online quickly. And you won’t be limited to — or have to pay extra for — nights, weekends and holidays.

3. The quality of service is high. An outsourced technology partner is invested in your business because it wants to keep your business. They typically only have as long as the initial contract to keep you engaged, so they have to continue proving their benefits to your company.

You can also hire an IT company with proven experience in your industry so you don’t have to stress about industry regulations or compliance.

4. They’re typically more cost-effective. While it might seem cheaper to hire one or two staff members on the surface, you still have to consider all of the costs of maintaining employees, such as hiring replacements, raises, benefits, training and sick leave.

An outsourced IT company typically has a fixed monthly cost, and you don’t have to pay extra to maintain training or address a data outage after hours.

5. Your internal resources can grow the business. When you offload the daily burden of technology to another company, your staff can dedicate more time to growing your business and creating innovative solutions.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing IT

Outsourcing IT can save you tons of time, money and stress – but you still need to consider the potential downsides.

1. You have less control. You won’t be able to control your IT functions as well as you could with an in-house team. While you can work closely with your managed IT company to set goals and priorities, you won’t be able to monitor what they’re doing or change direction as easily.

Scheduling frequent meetings with your managed services company will help keep them accountable and help you maintain visibility.

2. You might have difficulty with communication. Because outsourced IT companies operate off-site, you may run into communication challenges.

You won’t see your IT team members in person very often, and you may not receive responses as quickly as you’d like. However, if you prefer a hands-off approach and fully trust your IT company to make the right decisions, communication shouldn’t be a major issue.

Outsource Your IT Services With KMicro

When it comes to managing IT, you need a solution that allows you to focus your energy on reaching your business goals without having to stress about technology.

If you think outsourcing your IT will provide the peace you’re looking for, contact KMicro. Our managed IT services experts are committed to helping your business fully embrace the potential of your technology – without any of the stereotypical downsides of outsourced IT.

Whether your IT guy needs a little extra support or you’re looking for a fully outsourced IT department, we’ve got your back. We offer proven top-notch service, 24/7 support and affordable monthly costs to keep you stress-free and running in top shape.

Ready to learn more? Set up an appointment with one of our IT experts or give us a call now for more information: 949-284-7264.

5 Types of Internal Communication Tools Every Business Needs to Thrive

Communication is a vital part of running a business and pushing projects forward. Strong internal communication can mean the difference between a productive, future-focused organization and a stagnant one.

But with more employees working remotely today, it can be difficult to maintain open lines.

Internal communication tools help teams stay focused and collaborative. In this blog, we’ll cover five types of internal communication tools every modern business needs to thrive.

The Best Internal Communication Tools

There are hundreds of internal communication tools on the market, and it can be hard to determine which ones your company should adopt. Here are five types of internal communication tools every business should add to their collection of applications:

1. Chat

Chat tools like Slack, HipChat and Microsoft Teams are incredibly useful for small group communication and quick one-on-one discussions. They make it easy for you to reach out to someone when checking on a project, rather than having to comb through long email chains or try to schedule a phone call.

Chat tools make it easy to gain feedback or shoot quick notes to your teammates. But while they let you share documents back and forth, chat tools are not the best place to stay organized. That’s where document sharing and library tools come in.

2. Document Library and Sharing

Your company probably works on a lot of documents, spreadsheets, videos, presentations and other types of content. With more employees working remote today, documents need to be shared and worked on across devices and teams. To manage these files, you need a cloud-based document library.

A document sharing service enables you to keep all your files in one easy-to-access place, manage permissions and maintain version control. Popular tools like Google Drive, Box and OneDrive all offer such features so you can have peace of mind knowing a document won’t be lost in the shuffle.

3. News

You need a news tool to help your organization stay up-to-date with company announcements, goals and priorities. A good news tool helps everyone feel more connected to leadership, gain answers to their questions and understand the context around new initiatives rather than feeling lost.

A solid news tool will let you send out announcements to certain departments, too, so you don’t bother different teams with news that doesn’t apply to them. Jostle and SharePoint are examples of internal communication tools that include a news feature.

4. Task Management

Balancing a ton of tasks can overwhelm your team members. Luckily, there are a ton of task management tools available to help you assign, manage and check off activities.

Tools like Trello, Asana and Basecamp are a few popular task management tools that help teams manage projects and deadlines. Many task management tools have calendars that can help your marketing and software development teams stay on track as they roll out new initiatives. Some tools also allow you to make comments and subtasks along with due dates.

5. Collaboration

SharePoint and Microsoft Teams have already been mentioned on this list – and for a good reason. Both platforms allow your employees to easily communicate and collaborate within one convenient tool.

Collaboration tools encourage dialogue between interdepartmental teams and small groups. They enable your employees to ask questions, make revisions or communicate about a particular project in real-time through comments and online discussions – without ever having to schedule a phone call or in-person meeting.

These collaboration tools are especially useful if your team members are in different time zones. While tools some do have chat features, the commenting tools allow your teams to communicate without the pressure of responding immediately — especially when the conversation doesn’t warrant a full discussion.

Need Help Implementing Internal Communication Tools?

As a modern-day organization, you need internal communication tools to keep everyone in your organization productive, collaborative and happy. But if you haven’t implemented one — or any — of them before, you might not know where to start.

If you need help identifying and implementing the right internal communication tools for your business, contact KMicro. You can set up a call with one of our IT experts or give us a ring at 949-284-7264.

8 Things to Include on Your Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist

Losing data is a company’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, no one is immune as security breaches run rampant today.

You not only have to consider the effects of human interference, but also what could happen in the wake of a natural disaster. Wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes are all natural occurrences that could knock out your data centers and erase pertinent information without a human ever touching a computer.

A comprehensive disaster recovery plan checklist is essential to getting a business back up and running following a disaster. In this blog, you’ll learn the goals of a disaster recovery plan and what to include on your checklist.

Disaster Recovery Plan Goals

Disaster recovery is meant to help your business stay ahead of problems that could result in a loss of data. According to the National Archives & Records Administration in Washington, 93 percent of companies that lose data access for 10 days or more due to a disaster file for bankruptcy within a year.

If you want to avoid financial loss, your disaster recovery strategy should provide the resources needed to:

  • Minimize risk. Before you create a disaster recovery plan, perform a risk assessment to uncover vulnerabilities in your current system.
  • Resume operations quickly. Your systems need to be available to you and your customers as soon as possible. Your plan should include solutions for accessing the system without needing physical access — such as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and redundant data storage that can be accessed anywhere.
  • Maintain industry compliance. Depending on your industry, you likely have specific regulations to uphold. Your disaster recovery plan should reduce your risk of incurring penalties for failing to meet compliance obligations.
  • Address concerns of employees, owners and investors. Your disaster recovery plan should help business leaders, owners, employees and investors feel at ease knowing your company is secure. Write down the top concerns from each of these groups so you know which liabilities need to be addressed if a disaster occurs.

What Should You Include on Your Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist?

Here are eight key ingredients to include on your disaster recovery plan checklist:

1. Set Your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

The first thing you need to do is determine your RTO and RPO. These data points refer to:

The amount of time you need to recover all applications (RTO)
The age of the files that must be recovered for normal operations to resume (RPO)

Setting RTO and RPO goals requires input from multiple departments to best assess business needs.

Your RTO and RPO will help you determine what solutions are necessary to survive a disaster or a data breach and keep your data recovery costs low. They help you determine which hardware and software configurations you need to recover your workloads.

2. Take Inventory of Hardware and Software

Take a complete inventory of your hardware and software. Categorize each application in one of three buckets:

  • Critical applications you can’t do business without
  • Applications you will need to use within a day
  • Apps you won’t need for a few days or more

By defining your most critical applications, you’ll know which ones you need to prioritize in the event of a disaster. You should revisit this list once or twice a year as you install new apps or remove old ones.

Pro Tip: Make sure you have the vendor technical support information for each piece of hardware and application on hand so you can get back up and running fast.

3. Identify Personnel Roles

Beyond your software and hardware needs, you also need to outline the roles and responsibilities involved during a disaster recovery event. Duties range from making the decision to declare a disaster to contacting party-vendors.

Your disaster recovery plan should include a list of disaster recovery personnel with each person’s position, responsibilities and emergency contact information. Everyone from C-suite executives to help-desk reps has a role to play, and each person should understand their role in detail.

You should also have a list of back-up employees in case someone is on vacation or no longer available.

4. Choose Disaster Recovery Sites

Any good business continuity plan will also include using a disaster recovery site where all of your company’s essential data, assets and applications can be moved during a disaster. Whatever location you choose should be able to support your critical hardware and software.

Disaster recovery plans typically use three sites:

  • Hot sites, which act as a functional data center with hardware, software, personnel and customer data
  • Warm sites that allow access to critical applications (excluding customer data)
  • Cold sites where you can store IT systems and data, but that have no technology until your disaster recovery plan goes into effect

These sites should automatically perform backups and replicate workloads to speed up recovery.

5. Outline Response Procedures

Documenting your recovery strategy is the only way to guarantee your team will know what to do and where to start. Write down guidelines for everything, including:

  • Communication procedures for employees, media and customers
  • Data backup procedures, including a list of facilities and third-party solutions
  • Instructions for initiating a response strategy, including staff roles and critical activities
  • Post-disaster activities that should take place after operations are reestablished, such as contacting customers and vendors

You can’t be too detailed when it comes to documenting response procedures. The goal is to achieve full transparency and make sure each staff member understands the disaster recovery process from start to finish.

6. Identify Sensitive Documents and Data

Thinking beyond hardware and software, you also need a list of the essential documents and data that you cannot lose without disastrous effects. This includes sensitive information, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and who will have access to that data in the event of a breach or disaster.

7. Create a Crisis Communication Plan

No matter the size of your company, you need a clear strategy for communicating with employees, vendors, suppliers and customers in the event of a disaster. As long as you keep customers and the media informed on the status of your data outage or breach, they will feel much better about how you’re handling the situation.

Larger companies should create a crisis management media kit for reporters and customers. Include a statement that your PR team can publish on your website and across social media platforms that includes a number to contact for more information and an estimate on when things will be back up and running.

8. Run Continuous Practice Tests to Ensure Your Plan Is Effective

The last thing you want is to have your disaster recovery plan fail in your time of need. Test your plan at least once or twice each year and look for red flags, such as failed backup hardware or a slow internet connection that can’t restore your data in time.

Any time you run through a practice test, you should also review your risk assessments, personnel lists and inventory to ensure everything is up to date.

Get Expert Disaster Recovery Planning Assistance From KMicro

Today, every company is likely to experience a natural disaster or human interference at one point or another. To keep your data protected, you need a foolproof disaster recovery plan.

Reach out to KMicro to learn more about how we can help you create an effective disaster recovery plan that will get you back up and running in no time.

How to Implement a BYOD Policy Your Employees Will Actually Follow

Bring your own device (BYOD) policies have risen in popularity in recent years. In fact, 82 percent of companies let employees use personal devices for work. Why so many? Businesses save money by not having to make additional purchases, and employees don’t have to juggle between multiple devices.

But employing a BYOD policy isn’t easy. Business owners have to put trust in their employees to protect the company’s security. This blog will explain how BYOD policies work and provide tips on how to implement a BYOD policy that employees will follow.

What Are the Benefits of a BYOD Policy?

Before you create your BYOD implementation plan, you need to know the benefits of a BYOD policy. Your employees are likely to ask questions, and it’s best to be prepared so you’re not caught off-guard.

Here are the top four benefits of allowing personal devices at work:

Financial Savings
Because BYOD policies ask employees to use the same devices they already use at home, businesses save money on purchasing and maintaining laptops and mobile devices. Instead of paying full price, companies can pay employees a small stipend to cover device costs, data plans, etc.

Convenience
When your employees no longer have to switch between their home device and work device, life gets a lot more convenient for them. According to a study by Sapho, employees save 81 minutes a week by using their own devices.

Plus, because they already know the device, they don’t need to be trained on a whole new system, making BYOD more convenient for your company as a whole, too.

Access to New Technology
Employees are more likely to purchase the latest phones and laptops, while companies tend to be a few years behind. This is because individuals get upgrades much more quickly and at a faster rate than companies do.

Flexibility
To stay efficient and productive, your employees need to be able to access information no matter where they might be. Because BYOD gives them access to their own phones, which are likely newer, they can access information quickly without struggling to go through password after password on their secure work phone.

While these benefits are hard to resist, a poorly planned BYOD policy can cause some major issues, including security risks and an increased need for IT support. When your employees are using a myriad of different devices — all with different operating systems — you need reliable IT support to be able to help them.

And considering that half of BYOD-friendly companies that experience a data breach are breached by an employee-owned device, it’s safe to say that you need a policy that accounts for such problems while maintaining the convenience of the program.

How to Implement a BYOD Policy

Here are seven steps you can take to create a successful BYOD implementation plan:

1. Establish Security Policies

Now that your employees can pull up sensitive information from home, your policy needs to address potential pitfalls. This includes setting up strict password requirements so that — should a device fall into the wrong hands — you can be sure your data is safe.

Beyond passwords, your BYOD implementation plan should outline:

  • The minimum required security controls for devices
  • Where data will be stored (including what is stored locally)
  • Inactivity timeouts
  • Whether you require employees to download a mobile device security app
  • Your remote wipe policy

Depending on your industry, you might need to create more restrictions based on compliance requirements.

2. Create an Acceptable Use Guide

If you don’t already have an “Acceptable Use Policy,” you should create one in conjunction with your BYOD policy. This policy will help guide your employees away from distractions while keeping your network free of viruses and malware.

When creating your acceptable use guide, outline which applications employees are permitted to access from their personal devices and which apps are restricted. You should also note:

  • Which websites are banned while a device is connected to the company’s network
  • What types of company-owned data employees can access from their devices
  • What disciplinary actions you will take if someone violates the policy

One thing to note: Don’t block websites like Facebook or YouTube. Blocking these sites can seem overly controlling, especially from your employees’ personal devices. You need an acceptable use guide that isn’t excessively strict and shows that you have trust in your team.

3. Install Mobile Device Management Software

Mobile device management (MDM) software allows you to configure, manage and monitor all personal devices from one application. Your IT team can then authorize security settings and software configurations on any device connected to your network.

With MDM software, your IT team can create automatic backups of your company’s intellectual property using the cloud, scan for vulnerabilities in your system, block mobile devices that could be threats, ensure anti-malware applications are updated, remotely update and patch issues and further enforce security policies.

4. Use Two-Factor Authentication for Company Applications

Two-factor authentication keeps hackers from impersonating users and gaining access to company accounts. It keeps your classified information secure by forcing anyone who logs in to an application to go through an extra step, such as providing answers to security questions or using a code that has been provided in an email or text message.

5. Protect Company and Personal Data on Employee Devices

While you need to protect your own data in a BYOD policy, it’s also a good idea to protect your employee’s personal data. Your employees deserve to have some level of privacy.

Your MDM software and processes should never interact with, copy or store your employee’s personal information, applications and other data such as location information.

6. Simplify the Sign-Up Process

The sign-up process for your BYOD program should be easy. Don’t ask employees to fill out a paper form or put them through multiple rounds of approvals. Your employees should be able to sign up or enroll through an IT ticket system to track all requests and their progress.

After they enroll, they shouldn’t have to download too many different apps — one or just a few should be enough for them to access the information they need without too much work.

7. Train Your Employees (Regularly)

Provide regular training seminars so your employees stay up-to-date on the BYOD policy and potential risks of not following the rules.

You can also create a detailed manual or allow employees to schedule one-on-one training with someone in the IT department. That way, employees not only learn the best ways to use their devices, but they also understand the potential risks and how the company plans to avoid such issues.

Get Expert BYOD Policy Advice From KMicro

Implementing a BYOD policy comes with its fair share of tasks. As a business leader, you know the benefits and you know what could go wrong, so you might need a helping hand.

Contact someone at KMicro to give you that hand. We’ve worked with everything from SharePoint migrations to cybersecurity solutions, so we can help you create a policy that covers all of your bases.

Set up a call with one of our team members or call us now for more information: 949-284-7264.

Office 365 Migration Types: Everything You Need to Know for a Successful Email Migration

With the ever-increasing use of cloud computing, more and more businesses are making the switch to Office 365 for its cloud-based communication, collaboration and productivity abilities.

But migrating systems can cause headaches and frustration as you try to navigate new and old platforms. Your employees might feel left out of the loop if they’re suddenly told to change email systems, and you need to ensure your data is secure during the move. Plus, migrations can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

When it comes time to migrate to Office 365, you have several options to consider. In this article, we’ll break down the different Office 365 migration types to help you decide which method is best for your company.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Office 365 Migration Type

When it’s time to choose between Office 365 migration types, there are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself, such as:

  • How much time do you need to migrate?
  • How big is your migration budget?
  • How much data do you need to migrate?
  • Which existing email system are you using?
  • Which version of Exchange Server are you using?

After you’ve answered these questions, you can move forward with determining the best migration type for your organization.

4 Office 365 Migration Types

There are four Office 365 migration types for you to consider.

1. Staged Migration

An Office 365 staged migration moves everything over in batches. It transitions all of your resource mailboxes and existing users from Exchange 2003 or 2007 to Exchange Online.

It’s a great method for medium-sized companies (especially those with over 2,000 mailboxes) that are currently using on-premises Microsoft Exchange 2003 or 2007. It is not, unfortunately, available for organizations using Exchange 2010 or 2013.

A staged migration moves mailboxes in batches over a determined period. It requires the use of the Directory Synchronization tool, which replicates your accounts from the on-premises Active Directory database. By the end of the process, all mailboxes will be hosted in Office 365.

During the migration, Office 365 users will still have the ability to send and receive emails from users that haven’t migrated over yet. The only resources users won’t be able to access are calendars and delegates.

2. Cutover Migration

A cutover migration is an immediate transition from an on-premises Exchange system to Office 365. All your resources are migrated at once, including mailboxes, contacts and distribution groups. With this migration, you cannot select specific objects to migrate, and once the move is complete, everyone will have an Office 365 account.

This Office 365 migration method is best if you’re currently using Exchange 2003, 2007, 2010 or 2013 and have less than 2,000 mailboxes. In fact, Microsoft recommends the cutover migration for companies with less than 150 users to the amount of time it takes to migrate so many accounts.

One thing to note: every user’s Outlook profile will need to be reconfigured to connect to Office 365.

3. Hybrid Migration

The Office 365 hybrid migration allows you to integrate Office 365 with your on-premises Exchange servers and your existing directory services. As a result, you can synchronize and manage user accounts for both environments.

With a hybrid migration, you’re able to move mailboxes in and out of Exchange Online. You can even pick and choose which mailboxes to keep on-premises and which to migrate to Office 365. Plus, you can synchronize passwords and introduce single sign-on to your team to make it easier to log in to both environments.

If you’d like to use a hybrid migration, you need more than 2,000 mailboxes. It’s also necessary to have Exchange 2010 or later. If you don’t, you must install at least one on-premises Exchange 2013 or Exchange 2010 Service Pack 3 (SP3) server to enable hybrid deployment connectivity.

4. IMAP Migration

While the other three Office 365 migration types depend solely on Exchange, an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) migration allows you to transition users from Gmail or any other email system that supports IMAP migration.

An IMAP migration pulls information from your source mailboxes and hands it over to Office 365. However, IMAP migration doesn’t transition anything other than email. Calendar items, tasks and contacts all stay in the original inbox and have to be migrated manually by the user.

You’ll also have to create a mailbox for each user before initiating the email migration – something other migration types automatically create for you.

IMAP migrations have a limit of 50,000 total mailboxes and 5,000,000 items. And once the migration is complete, any new mail sent to the original mailbox won’t be migrated.

Get Expert Office 365 Consulting and Migration Help From KMicro

If you’re still not sure which Office 365 migration type is best for you — or you know you need help taking the first step — get in touch with one of the experts at KMicro.

We’ve helped dozens of businesses with their Office 365 migrations, and we have the knowledge you need to move forward without disrupting your day.

Schedule a phone meeting or give us a call now to learn more: 949-284-7264.

Getting Started With Power BI

Microsoft Power BI is an analytics solution that lets you visualize your data and share insights across your organization. The tool connects hundreds of data sources to bring your complex data to life with live dashboards and reports.

Power BI is an ideal tool to learn for many types of business and IT professionals, from developers to administrators to designers. In this blog, you’ll learn how to get started with Power BI in five easy steps.

What Is Power BI?

Power BI is a collection of apps and services that turn your unrelated data from various sources into rational, interactive insights. When you add Power BI to your business infrastructure, you gain greater ability to make informed decisions based on the data you have collected over time.

There are three elements to Power BI:

  • Power BI Desktop, a Windows desktop application used by designers and developers to build and publish dashboards and reports
  • The Power BI service, an online Software-as-a-Service application used by consumers and non-power users to view reports
  • Power BI mobile apps for Windows, iOS and Android devices

All three elements of Power BI allow business users to easily access, create and share business insights in whichever way best suits their role.

There’s also a fourth element, Power BI Report Server, that lets you publish reports onto an on-premises report server. But you’ll mostly work with the main three.

So who uses Power BI?

Designers, developers and administrators can all use Power BI to create reports. Other roles — from salespeople to customer service teams to warehouse managers — will use the Power BI service to access those reports and keep track of their respective teams’ progress and performance.

Now that you know what Power BI is and who uses it, there are some things you can do to learn more about the tool and get comfortable using it.

Getting Started With Power BI

Here are five Power BI tips to help you get started:

1. Sign up for a Free Power BI Trial

If you don’t already have an account, you need to get one. Register for a free Power BI Pro trial account to begin. The trial will last for 60 days and allow you to test out the program without the stress of paying for something you might not want.

2. Import Your Data

After you sign in to Power BI, it’s time to import some data to see what it can do! At the bottom of the left navigation bar, you should see a button to get data, which will allow you to import Excel, CSV and Power BI Desktop files. Once imported, you’ll be able to start making visuals.

3. Explore Your Dataset

Once you’ve imported some data into Power BI, you can create dashboards to see how certain sets of data change over time.

You can filter the data by date, sales, month, price, units sold and more, and then use those filters to choose what type of visualization works best. For example, if you filter by “Date” first, you’ll see a table, while filtering by “Gross Sales” first will produce a chart.

Once you’ve found a data visualization that is interesting to you, you can pin the chart to a dashboard by hovering over the visualization and selecting the “Pin” icon. With the chart stored on your dashboard, you can watch as that specific information evolves.

4. Continue Exploring With the Q&A Box

Power BI uses natural language processing to understand what you’re looking for and immediately pull it up when you need it. Simply type a question in the Q&A box about your data, and watch as Power BI presents a visualization of that information. You can then pin it to a dashboard.

5. Clean up Your Resources

When you’re done with a dataset or want to remove the information you imported for testing, go to “My Workspace” in the navigation bar. Choose the “Datasets” tab, click on the ellipses and choose “Delete.”

Deleting a dataset will also delete any related reports or dashboards.

Benefits of Using Power BI

There are plenty of benefits of getting started with Power BI. For one, because it easily integrates and connects with other tools like Dynamics 365, you don’t have to worry about the transition from gathering data to extracting insights from it.

Power BI allows you to extract the most important insights from your data without having to sift through confusing lists and charts. With clear data visualizations at your fingertips, your organization can take the necessary next steps to increase sales, improve processes and reduce waste.

The platform also keeps your data secure, so your business can manage data while maintaining compliance.

Unlock the Full Potential of Power BI With KMicro

If you’re ready to start visualizing your data — or you just want to transition to a new data analytics tool — Power BI might be the right system for you. But after you’ve made the decision, what next?

KMicro can help you transition your data from one platform to the next, evaluate your current business intelligence, locate data sources and learn how to navigate Power BI as a company. Let us help you by setting up a call with one of our IT experts, or simply give us a ring here: 949-284-7264.

What Is Shadow IT? 5 Risks of Shadow IT and How to Avoid Them

The popularity of cloud computing is driving rapid growth of application use in the workplace. It’s easier than ever for employees to download cloud applications that will help them be more productive and efficient.

Unfortunately, some of these applications operate as shadow IT.

In this blog, you’ll learn what shadow IT is, why it exists and the common risks your business should watch out for.

What Is Shadow IT?

Shadow IT refers to IT applications, hardware and software that are managed without the knowledge of the IT department. Shadow IT has become most prevalent in the form of cloud applications because of how easy they are to download and the increasing number of productivity applications available.

The average company uses 1,083 cloud services, but the IT department only knows about 108 of them. Many employees feel comfortable downloading any application or cloud service as long as it makes their jobs easier.

And it does make their jobs easier. Modern software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications help employees hit their stride with tasks, manage their time and interact more efficiently with coworkers – but at what cost?

Shadow IT Risks and Challenges

When the IT department doesn’t have visibility into the SaaS apps that employees and departments are using, security and compliance risks arise. Here are five of the biggest shadow IT risks every business should be wary of:

1. Security Gaps
Shadow IT introduces security gaps to an organization. Because it hasn’t been vetted by the IT department, shadow IT doesn’t undergo the same security procedures as other supported technologies.

While some unsupported SaaS applications seem harmless, others might encourage sharing sensitive data between groups or recording calls for transcription services. IT staff needs to know what apps are in use and how they might put your company at risk of data breaches and other liabilities.

2. Compliance and Regulations
To protect consumers and other businesses, governmental organizations have created regulations and standards, such as Software Asset Management (SAM) and ISO/IEC 20000.

SAM compliance helps businesses manage the procurement of software licenses, but shadow IT prevents an organization from having proper documentation and approval of such licenses. Discovery of unapproved software can force government entities to audit a company’s infrastructure, leading to hefty fines or even jail time.

Organizations also adopt ISO/IEC 20000 to demonstrate quality and security to their customers and service providers. But these efforts are wasted if system documentation doesn’t reflect reality.

3. Configuration Management
It’s important (and necessary) for IT departments to create a configuration management database (CMDB) to help identify how systems work together. When an unauthorized application or piece of hardware is introduced, it likely won’t be supported or added to the CMBD because IT is merely unaware of its existence. Shadow IT can disrupt the delicate workflows the IT department has spent months or years configuring.

4. Collaboration Inefficiencies
When employees rely on different applications from department to department, collaboration becomes inefficient.

For example, if one department uses Google Drive for file sharing while another uses Box, what happens when the two teams need to work together on a project? How many times will one document get uploaded, edited and downloaded between the two services?

The average organization uses 57 different file-sharing services. Imagine how much easier collaboration would be if your company reduced that number to two or three enterprise licenses.

5. Poor IT Visibility
Lastly, while SaaS applications don’t seem like they take up too much space, the wrong one can severely impact bandwidth and efficiency. If one team relies on a shadow IT application that breaks down, the IT department won’t have the knowledge or documentation to fix it. Think about the chaos of having to get a time-sensitive project out that might ensue.

Many third-party applications were never meant to be part of your infrastructure in the first place — at least not without IT’s knowledge — so when a major update occurs that doesn’t mesh with your infrastructure, your IT team could be sent scrambling.

How to Manage Shadow IT

The best strategies for managing shadow IT include creating policies to oversee and monitor new applications.

While third-party applications can introduce serious security and compliance concerns, you also don’t want to stifle your employees by preventing them from downloading a product that could make them more productive.

Instead, embrace the idea that seeking out new technologies that can make their jobs easier. Establish policies that encourage employees to go to IT when they want to request a new application. It’s imperative that you keep the relationship between IT and the rest of the company open and honest.

Creating this open relationship between your IT department and your company isn’t the easiest thing to do. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone.

KMicro offers a host of cybersecurity solutions to help businesses gain control over and visibility into their shadow IT. We can help you identify the applications your employees are using without your knowledge, consolidate your cloud services and get everyone back on the same page.

SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises: How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Business

Microsoft SharePoint currently offers two types of environments. The latest version of its on-premises solution is SharePoint Server 2019, while SharePoint’s cloud offering is called SharePoint Online.

Both products provide companies with the tools they need to improve productivity and collaboration and make sharing data easier than ever.

But every organization has unique needs, requirements and IT infrastructure in place. When it comes to SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises, you need to consider the pros and cons of each before you can make a decision.

Comparing SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises

Need help making an informed decision about which SharePoint platform is right for you? Here are six important factors to take into consideration:

1. Cost

The first thing you need to determine is how much each option will cost you. But deciding between an on-premises solution versus the cloud isn’t just about the exact cost of the platform itself. You’ll have to consider how much data you need to store and how many users need access to SharePoint.

It’s also a good idea to consider your business goals. If you plan to double your number of users in a year, then your SharePoint costs can add up quickly. SharePoint Online is licensed based on the number of users, while on-premises requires additional dollars for licensing, maintenance, IT resources and more upkeep.

From a broad cost perspective, SharePoint Online is usually cheaper, so many small businesses choose it over on-premises.

2. Location of Resources

SharePoint Online stores your data in the cloud, which means your information isn’t contained in your own personal server. Instead, it’s on a server you’ll probably never see that is hopefully locked up tight.

With SharePoint Server, you do have peace of mind of knowing your information isn’t far from you. You have more control over who has access to the data and who doesn’t.

As you decide between SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises, make sure your compliance officer has a say in the migration. If the information you’re storing is sensitive and a data breach could place your customers at serious risk, then on-premises might be your answer.

3. Maintenance and Updates

As part of SharePoint Online’s offerings, Microsoft performs all of the updates to hardware and platform changes, so your servers are always up-to-date. SharePoint On-Premises, however, requires you have on-site team members who can manage the latest updates and patches. Your team will also have to continually review and monitor your hardware to keep things in working order.

The good thing is, though, that maintenance and updates might not be a huge concern for your company. Maintenance cycles are fairly consistent, and updates may not need to occur as often as they used to.

4. Scaling Abilities

Because SharePoint Online has strict capacity limits, you’ll need to closely monitor how much storage you’re using. You can request more space, but you’ll have to pay more to get it, which can quickly turn your more affordable option on its head.

SharePoint Online is part of Office 365, making it only one contributor to the amount of data you’re allowed to use. Monitoring all of the storage you have in Office 365 requires a careful eye if you’re on a tight budget.

With on-premises, however, you’ll be able to spend your energy on just managing the server. You can build the capacity you need on the onset and add as you go. Plus, your team members might find it better to run data governance rules on hardware and servers they can access directly.

5. Data Management

As already mentioned, SharePoint On-Premises requires that you have an internal IT team to manage your data. Your company should have access to experts in data governance, compliance standards, third-party application support and more.

SharePoint Online, on the other hand, relies on the Microsoft team to track down data center issues. It will allow you to set some compliance requirements, but not all. Office 365 does support Active Directory and other secure token systems, and it encourages single sign-on.

6. Infrastructure Needs and Support

SharePoint Server 2019 has a full list of prerequisites and operating systems that you need to review before migrating.

The requirements include SQL Server 2016, Windows Server 2016 or 2019, Microsoft Identity Extensions and more. And on top of your software requirements, you’ll also need racks, servers and other hardware to connect SharePoint to your network, provide security and manage traffic. And your IT team will have to manage it.

SharePoint Online allows you to shift some of the management burden to Microsoft’s data centers. There are very few infrastructure requirements besides the infrastructure needed to migrate to SharePoint Online. You will need to review your business operations to determine if you need any new equipment or additional team members to ensure you’re following your business objectives.

Pros and Cons of SharePoint Online

When it comes down to choosing between SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises, there are a few things that will point you toward the online option.

If you have a smaller team and you don’t have extra-sensitive information to protect, SharePoint Online could be an ideal platform. It’s also a great option when you don’t have a full IT staff to support a physical server, thanks to the additional help Microsoft’s team extends with the online edition.

Lastly, if you have a smaller budget and you aren’t working with many customizations, SharePoint Online could be the best option for you.

You might not want to go after SharePoint Online if you need better control of your data and how it’s stored or have a large staff that can both support your specific needs and create custom solutions.

Pros and Cons of SharePoint On-Premises

SharePoint On-Premises is best when your company needs a more robust server option. If you need to keep sensitive data under lock and key and you already have customizations you’re using specific to your needs, then a physical server is your best bet.

Plus, if you’re already using a physical server and have the budget, staff, and hardware prerequisites in place, then migrating to an online solution might not make the most sense.

Don’t bother with on-premises, however, when you want people off-site to have access to your servers, don’t have the right pre-requisites in place, or don’t have a large enough budget for staff and equipment.

Get Expert SharePoint Consulting and Migration Help From KMicro

As you re-evaluate your server needs, choosing between SharePoint Online vs. On-Premises can seem almost impossible. If you’re not ready to make a decision, contact an expert at KMicro.

We have the knowledge and experience with SharePoint that you need to choose the best option for your company. And once we’ve helped you choose, we can assist in your migration so that you can focus on your business or IT department.

Managing Multiple Retail Stores: 5 Tips to Solve Your Communication Problems


Managing Multiple Retail Stores: 5 Tips to Solve Your Communication Problems

When your retail business is booming and customer demand is at an all-time high, expanding your retail business to new locations can be a lucrative move. But managing multiple retail stores isn’t as easy as one might think.

Communication gaps, data security risks and inconsistent procedures can cause more harm than good. When brand communication and procedures are inconsistent both internally and with customers, companies open themselves up to bad reviews, which impact nearly 70 percent of purchasing decisions.

Plus, just 26 percent of retail stores use encryption, even though they’re more inclined to share sensitive data on the cloud. Data breaches cost businesses millions of dollars, and almost 60 percent of those businesses wind up closing as a result.

All of this can be overwhelming, especially as you manage your first set of additional stores. But it doesn’t have to be. In this blog, we’ll offer you tips for solving common issues faced by retailers with multiple stores so you can continue expanding without unnecessary stress.

5 Tips for Managing Multiple Retail Stores

So how can you successfully manage multiple locations and continue to grow your business? Here are five tips to a smooth transition when expanding retail stores:

1. Create Standard Operating Procedures

You can’t be everywhere at the same time, no matter how much you wish it were possible. But you do need to make sure each of your retail locations is operating effortlessly. To do that, it’s important to create standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The rules you create must apply to every person in every store, including your hours of operations, working hours, refund policies, how employees communicate with customers, when to offer a discount, etc. To get great reviews online, your customers have to see a consistent experience from store to store.

2. Hire Reliable, Professional Managers at Each Location

When you’re hiring, focus on competency, not credentials. In other words, you want employees who are reliable and capable of representing you and your business — and a certain degree or amount of experience may not be able to predict their ability to do so.

Instead, conduct consistent training sessions to improve your team’s abilities, especially as they deal with customers. And everyone on staff should know the company’s mission and vision in order to work toward fulfilling both.

3. Make It Easy for Everyone to Communicate

As you manage multiple retail stores, your goal should be to create consistent communication between yourself and between stores. Your retail teams should be easy to get in contact with one another despite being in different locations. You never know when they’ll need to share inventory or get a quick answer to a question that wasn’t established in the SOPs.

Use a cloud-based portal to share important business information and give your employees a place to connect. And, when possible, make in-person stops at each of your stores to get to know your company’s employees and learn more about how the stores are doing individually.

4. Collaborate and Share Best Practices

When you have different locations, it’s natural for store managers to work on best practices for making their individual retail spaces operate efficiently. That’s great, but it also starts to break up your company’s ability to be consistent. Instead, encourage all your team members to share the best practices they’ve created. As a result, managing multiple retail stores won’t be a jumble of different operations styles, and your company will be more innovative.

Plus, your team members won’t run into the exact same situations or types of customers, so those best practices help set everyone up for success when a difficult problem arises. You can help facilitate such conversations through the shared online portal or even by having quarterly strategy sessions.

5. Streamline Document and Data Sharing

To keep your data safe, you need to store all of your documentation and data within one system. When you use an encrypted, cloud-based system for document sharing, your team will be able to access information without interfering with anyone else’s work, and they’ll be able to keep sensitive data away from prying eyes.

Beyond keeping data safe, though, storing customer data in multiple systems across retail locations is unproductive. Every store will have to take down the same information, frustrating the customer, and it opens your business up to risk if someone can gain access to just one file. But with an integrated system, you can save all of your data from all of your retail stores, helping your company stay efficient and accurate and keeping your customers happy.

Solve Your Communication Challenges With Retail Connect

As you learn how to manage multiple retail stores, it’s easy to think the challenges outweigh the solutions. Luckily, however, a SharePoint solution could resolve all of these issues without you having to purchase multiple tools and software.

Retail Connect, KMicro’s SharePoint Online customization service, helps you build a custom portal to help you manage multiple retail stores. It acts as a one-stop-shop for your corporate employees, retail managers and salespeople to communicate and share information, create and collaborate on documents, learn about new products and best practices and even secure personally identifiable information (PII).

Managing multiple retail stores is hard enough without the right solutions to back you up. But KMicro is ready to help. Drop us a line to learn more about how Retail Connect can help your business grow.