LocalITCompanies.com now Helping Chicago, Dallas and Houston Businesses Find Pre-Screened IT Companies

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 11, 2010

It seems most business owners are entrenched in their own day to day business building operations and the thought of hiring a full-time staff to support their IT growth is not feasible. However, ignoring such services can cause a company to go out of business. LocalITCompanies.com has been launched to serve as a vital resource for companies looking to enhance their IT support.

Now serving the Chicago, Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas, Local IT Companies is currently expanding its market. All IT companies in their network are required to provide three current customer references who have been working with them for at least one year.

Local IT Companies highlights the most important IT services and reasons why it is crucial for every business to have these services in place.

Disaster Recovery

Having a disaster recovery pla n for a business is almost like having an umbrella on a rainy day. When it rains, there is no doubt one will get wet, but with an umbrella, the chances of getting soaked are mitigated. The same idea applies to a solid disaster recovery plan. Sure, there may be some down time, but having a plan in place will allow a business to continue to flow.

It is estimated that most large companies spend between 2 and 4 percent of their IT budget on disaster recovery planning, with the aim of avoiding larger losses in the event that the business cannot continue to function due to loss of IT infrastructure and data. Of companies that had a major loss of business data, 43 percent never reopen, 51 percent close within two years and only six percent will survive in the long-term. *This results in a majority of failed businesses.

Network Security

For most small businesses and medium sized companies, a security strategy may consist of a network firewall and some anti-virus software (that might even be outdated). While that may have been suitable years ago, Local IT Companies highly recommends a network security strategy that is multi-layered with various backup plans. All companies are connected to the Internet, and this alone makes them vulnerable to computer hackers and password crackers, network attacks, malware downloads from unscrupulous websites, as well as the risk of using insecure browsing and viruses sent via e-mail.

Network Monitoring

Businesses are monitored in terms of bottom line, sales, product inventory, etc. All companies should have IT specialists that are there to remotely monitor their network so they can have peace of mind and the ability to focus on their business. Local IT Companies stresses the importance of the 24/7 monitoring of critical devices and support from anywhere in the world, no matter what time of day, with offsite remote monitoring and onsite support.

Remote network monitoring allows qualified technicians to anticipate or identify issues before they become major problems for a company’s network.

VoIP

A business’ phone system is critical to how it communicates and functions. More and more companies of all sizes are shifting to VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) communication systems. For many companies in the Chicago, Dallas, and Houston markets, especially service-based firms reliant on technology, VoIP calling packages not only improve the cost of doing business, but can change the manner in which a company does business, dramatically increasing the size of their potential market as well as increasing efficiencies throughout the company.

Whether a company currently has a small staff of IT personnel in place and needs some assistance with its IT infrastructure upgrades or just need to bring someone on board part-time or in an outsourced capacity, all companies need to be prepared to stay in business by utilizing local IT companies.

Local IT Companies has locations in Dallas, Houston and Chicago (headquarters). For more information, a representative can be reached at 877-500-0905 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by mail at 230 S. Clark St. Suite 120 Chicago, IL 60604 or online at http://www.localitcompanies.com.

*Hoffer, Jim. “Backing Up Business – Industry Trend or Event.” Health Management Technology, Jan 2001

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LocalITCompanies.com now Helping Chicago, Dallas and Houston Businesses Find Pre-Screened IT Companies

TDS

(Vocus/PRWEB) February 10, 2011

TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS

TDS

OB10-The Institute of Financial Operations Study Finds More Companies Expediting Collections through e-Invoicing and Early Pay Discounts

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 10, 2012

The third annual Accounts Receivable (AR) Survey from OB10 (http://www.ob10.com), the e-Invoicing network, and The Institute of Financial Operations, the globally recognized authority on best practices in financial operations, finds that more companies are accelerating their collections processes through e-Invoicing and are taking discounts for early payment. The survey gauges the views of accounts receivable and credit professionals in the areas of collections, invoicing, payment processes, and the economy.

The 147 participants included AR and credit professionals, CEOs, presidents, and CFOs from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in North America and the UK. The results indicate that e-Invoicing continues to grow as a reliable invoice submission method, as 29% of respondents use it versus 26% last year. This is also the first year that respondents use of e-Invoicing has surpassed that of EDI.

Regardless of the invoicing submission method used, 85% of respondents believe electronic invoicing expedites the collections process. Additionally, early pay discounts are growing as a cash-management option, with two-thirds indicating that they have accepted discount terms offered by their customers.

When asked about the results of their collections efforts, 50% were only somewhat satisfied, suggesting that there is an opportunity to find and implement an ideal solution or combination of solutions to improve collections. More respondents said that they were calling late-paying customers to chase payment. This method has increased in popularity over the last three years from 55% in 2010 to 61% in 2012.

While this years survey shows good growth for invoice automation, more can be done to streamline the procure-to-pay process, said Luke McKeever, CEO for OB10. Increased adoption will improve organizations satisfaction in their collection efforts and eliminate the need to call customers to chase late payments. We can then expect to see more organizations take advantage of early pay discounts.

This years AR survey shows how OB10 and The Institute of Financial Operations continue to have an acute understanding of what organizations find important in the procure-to-pay process, said Jo E. LaBorde, Executive Director of The Institute of Financial Operations. We are equipped to monitor trends and offer solutions designed to help improve their financial operations.

This years AR survey introduces the Invoice, Payment and Cash Flow (IPC) Barometer, which asks for respondents opinions on how effective they are in invoicing, customer payment efficiency, and cash-flow management and generates an overall score. Organizations will soon be able to gauge their own IPC Barometer result on the OB10 website and learn how to improve it.

To read the full 2012 OB10-Institute of Financial Operations Accounts Receivable Survey, download the white paper from the OB10 website or The Institute of Financial Operations website.

The white paper can also be accessed here:

OB10: http://bit.ly/OB10arsurvey

The Institute of Financial Operations: http://bit.ly/IFOSurvey

OB10-The Institute of Financial Operations Study Finds More Companies Expediting Collections through e-Invoicing and Early Pay Discounts

EzTimeSheet Software Helps Texas Companies Track Employee Time In Stress-Free Way

Houston, TX (PRWEB) June 13, 2012

For the small business owners and business managers, accurately tracking and monitoring employee attendance without something like automated attendance software in place can be quite time-consuming, overwhelming and frustrating. During tough economic times, all managers need to be as productive and efficient as possible.

Small business software provider, Halfpricesoft.com, released a new and improved edition of its ezTimeSheet Employee Attendance Tracking Software. This new version makes it easier for business owners or HR managers to tracking employee attendance, working time, PTO, vacation and sick time.

HR Management is important for any business and organization; however employee time and attendance tracking can be very time-consuming. We believe small business should focus their time and energy on running their businesses, not trying to figure out how to run payroll software” explains Dr. Ge, President and Founder of halfpricesoft.com. We intentionally engineered ezTimeSheet software for those end-users who are not professional accountants and HR expert, so small businesses can set up ezTimeSheet quickly and easily.

Known for affordability and ease-of-use, ezTimeSheet employee attendance and time tracking software was designed specifically for small business owners, non-profits and HR department managers. It is loaded with intelligent, intuitive features, but not burdened by complicated suites of expensive applications small businesses will never use or need.

Priced from just $ 39 per installation, ezTimesheet attendance tracking software is affordable for any size business. New user can download and try ezTimeSheet for free at http://www.halfpricesoft.com/time-sheet-tracking-software.asp with no cost and no obligation.

ezTimeSheet attendance tracker has an amazing array of features that make time-tracking and payroll tasks simple and easy, including:

Easy-to-use graphical interface that allows employees to punch in and punch out via computer
Automatic time tracking that automatically calculates gross payroll figures
Automatic check for duplicate and overlapping time entries
Administrator can enter and edit time data when necessary
Administrator can add notes to individual time entries
Flexible report features that are easy to use
Export report data to Excel, PDF or image formats for analysis and sharing
Export payment data to .csv file for use with other software
Separate password protection for administrator and employees
Equipped for network access
Backup feature to protect database
Free updates

To make ezTimeSheet software available for any size business in Texas, Halfpricesoft.com give users a new way to get free products by partnering with TrialPay, the leader in alternative online payments. Buyers can now get 5-user version time tracker software for Free when they try or buy an offer from one of TrialPay’s 2,000 blue-chip advertisers.

To learn more about ezTimeSheet and the free offer, please visit

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/time-sheet-tracking-software.asp

About halfpricesoft.com

Based in Louisville, Ky., Halfpricesoft.com develops and distributes a wide range of small business software titles that are affordable and easy-to-use. Besides ezTimeSheet Employee Tracking Software, titles available from Halfpricesoft.com include payroll software, check writing & printing software, W2 & 1099 preparation software and barcode label printing software.

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Logicalis IDs Five Mistakes Companies Make in their Cloud Strategies

Farmington Hills, MI (PRWEB) August 23, 2011

The term cloud has become one of the most commonly used and most often misunderstood words in IT today. According to Logicalis, an international provider of integrated information and communications technology (ICT) solutions and services, when a company doesnt fully define what the cloud can do for it, it leads to a less-than-optimized strategy that underserves the organization. To help IT pros avoid common pitfalls, Logicalis has identified five mistakes companies make in their cloud strategies.

If you ask 10 people to define the cloud, youll get 30 answers, says Steve Pelletier, cloud solution architect at Logicalis. Cloud is a buzzword; you hear commercials and advertisements all saying Cloud, cloud, cloud. But its not a well-defined term and that leads to people not fully understanding the enormous opportunities that cloud computing can offer their businesses today. When businesspeople even the most experienced IT pros have a limited view of this nebulous term, the cloud, its hard for them to make the best decisions for their companies.

Companies that fail to explore all the options may be leaving valuable services untapped and potential savings unrealized. Pelletier says there are five significant ways businesses today are missing out on the full potential of the cloud. And identifying and understanding these potential pitfalls is the key to avoiding them.

Five Mistakes Companies Make in their Cloud Strategies

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Logicalis IDs Five Mistakes Companies Make in their Cloud Strategies

ProviDyn on CRN Magazine"s Next-Gen 250 List of Up and Coming Companies

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) October 26, 2011

ProviDyn, a provider of IT support, strategy and services for small and medium-sized businesses, announced today it has been selected as one of CRN Magazines Next-gen 250 up and coming companies. For the first time in almost 30 years of covering the evolution of the IT industry and the players who make it all happen, the magazine generated the list to recognize companies that have demonstrated the ability to leverage new technology platforms.

The Next-Gen 250 list is a snapshot of solution providers that are zeroing in on lucrative and emerging technologies, among them cloud computing, mobility, virtualization, unified communications, business analytics and business intelligence.

In todays competitive environment, solution providers have to do more than just talk about innovation. The ability to quickly implement new processes, models and technologies is what drives margins and the bottom line, said Kelley Damore, VP, editorial director, Everything Channel. The CRN Next-gen 250 highlights the most interesting new solution providers who are demonstrating such innovation and uncovers the new techniques and technologies that are driving their success.

We are honored to be a part of the inaugural Next-gen 250 list, said Hamish Davidson, president and CEO of ProviDyn. As an innovative company, we are constantly evolving and evaluating new technology, such as cloud computing, that will help our clients drive business with the help of affordable, easily implemented and well managed solutions.

About ProviDyn

ProviDyn provides technology expertise, services and support to Atlanta-area small and medium-sized businesses. Backed by certified technology professionals, ProviDyns services include managed services, cloud computing solutions, virtualization, help desk and computer support, IT strategy, network security, backup and disaster recovery and IP telephony. ProviDyn delivers the right mix of technology and expertise allowing its clients to focus on growing their business. To learn more about how ProviDyn is Driving Business Through Technology and helping companies reduce costs, improve efficiency and maximize productivity, visit http://www.providyn.com or follow us on Twitter.

About CRN

The technology reseller Channel is a world-wide community of product resellers (known as Solution Providers), product vendors, distributors, and customers and accounts for approximately two-thirds of all technology products and services sold each year.

UBM Channel’s platform of business tools, live events, sales enablement services, market intelligence offerings, and multimedia outlets are designed to help the Channel grow and profit.

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Network Automation Named to Inc. 500/5000 List of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 29, 2012

Network Automation, the premier provider of scalable IT and business process automation software, AutoMate 9, today announced that it has been named to the Inc. 500/5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America. Based on a three-years sales growth of 46%, Network Automation ranked #3695 on the sixth annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. This marks the second-year in a row that Network Automation has made the Inc. 5000 list. The firm also made the list in 2009.

FY12 was a historic year for Network Automation with record revenue increases, client additions and channel partnerships due in large part to the release of AutoMate 9 and AutoMate BPA Server 9. The enhanced version of Network Automations software solution provides a Windows-based automation development, deployment and execution environment that allows IT professionals to deliver consistent, frequent, high value-added IT and business process automation. With an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop user interface, AutoMate supports the world’s most popular and commonly used technologies including Windows Administration, VMware, SharePoint, Exchange, FTP, PGP, Twitter and much more.

We are thrilled to again join other Inc. 500/5000 companies on the annual list, said Gary Bishop, CEO, Network Automation. Repeat demand for AutoMate was strong throughout the year and we are thankful to our valued new and existing customers who have selected our software for their important business process automation needs.

In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2012 Inc. 500|5000 companies remains an impressive 97 percent. The companies on this years list report having created more than 400,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $ 299 billion.

The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economyAmericas independent entrepreneurs. Unified Payments tops this years list. Network Automation joins Yelp, yogurt maker Chobani, Giftcards.com, KIND and famed hatmaker Tillys, among other prominent brands featured on this years list.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/5000.

“Now, more than ever, we depend on Inc. 500/5000 companies to spur innovation, provide jobs, and drive the economy forward. Growth companies, not large corporations, are where the action is, says Inc. Editor Eric Schurenberg.

About Network Automation

Network Automation, Inc. is the mid-market leader in automation software that streamlines and integrates business processes without expensive programming. Founded in 2004 and based in Los Angeles, the company provides business process automation solutions to more than 10,000 small, mid-market, and Global Fortune 1000 clients across 60 countries. The firm’s AutoMate and AutoMate BPA Server platform span automation development, deployment, and management with a drag-and-drop environment that substantially reduces the total cost of the automation lifecycle. Common uses include job scheduling, automated FTP, batch processing, automated backups, scripting, automated testing, event log monitoring, automated reporting, and more. Network Automation’s customers include NASA, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Verizon, FedEx, and many regional, state, and federal government offices. For more information, visit http://www.networkautomation.com.

Methodology

The 2012 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2008 to 2011. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2008. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2011. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2008 is $ 100,000; the minimum for 2011 is $ 2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/500.

About Inc.

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for todays innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today. For more information, http://www.inc.com.

About the Inc. 500|5000 Conference

Each year, Inc. and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of todays entrepreneurial superstarsthe privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the Inc. community, both a new class of Inc. 500|5000 honorees and the lists alumni, for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration. Please join us October 35, 2012, at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information about the 2012 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony and to register, visit inc500conference.com or call 866-901-3205.

CONTACT:

Network Automation Named to Inc. 500/5000 List of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies

OnRamps Colocation Services Guarantee 100% Uptime for Companies Threatened by Anticipated Disruptions to the Texas Power Grid

Austin, TX (PRWEB) June 27, 2012

OnRamp Access, an Austin-based data center operations company, provides colocation services to businesses in the Texas region that cannot afford the potential loss of power projected by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) as energy use in the state continues to reach new heights. A recent study released by ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas, anticipates potential electricity shortages within the coming decade as a result of the insufficiencies in power output and increased demand expected for the region in the next few years. In 2011, ERCOT narrowly avoided power grid failure by rotating outages in the winter and issuing six conservation alerts when summer heat reached record highs.

The Capacity, Demands and Reserves (CDR) Report, released by ERCOT in late May 2012, predicts a decreased electric generation capacity and higher peak demand of energy usage by as early as 2014. This creates a lower target planning reserve margin than required by 2010s standards for contingencies, which includes positive economic status and high summer temperatures as catalysts for increased energy consumption. The cause for concern is the related brownouts and potential blackouts associated with a power grid under such stresses. To heighten the severity of this situation, ERCOT believes this problem will worsen in the following year and continue in a trend of increasingly negative reserve margins foreseeably until 2022. As in the case of the outages experienced last year, server downtime translates to missed revenue opportunity for businesses running e-commerce websites and major concerns for healthcare providers in need of accessing critical patient data in an emergency. OnRamps state-of-the-art data center was designed with redundancy, reliability and security in mind, enabling it to withstand extensive power outages. These considerations allow OnRamp to offer colocation customers a 100% uptime guarantee.

Without an adequate supply of power, it is hard to guarantee the reliability of systems and accessibility of data maintained through an in-house data storage operation, said OnRamps Founder Chad Kissinger. OnRamp boasts several advantages in the maintenance and delivery of power required for its clients racks, which provides assurance for its customers considering the future straining of the power grid expected from the region.

The individual components which support the data centers operation allow the company to mitigate risks of power fluctuations, such as brownouts, for its clients. All distortions to utility power are removed by sending them through one of OnRamps Uninterruptable Power Sources (UPSs) to undergo a double conversion process. This ensures that electrical output power from the UPS is completely clean, computer grade power. In addition, OnRamp uses Power Distribution Units (PDUs) to act as step down transformers and circuit breakers to provide basic shock protection to these systems.

While other data centers and many in-house data storage facilities account only for enough backup power to ensure their servers remain up and running, OnRamp maintains its complete environment with enough backup power supply to keep the entire data center functioning in the event of temporary power loss. This means, with record breaking summertime temperatures, OnRamp is prepared to keep its clients systems completely stable by meeting both power infrastructure and cooling needs.

OnRamp is fed from a high priority power substation dedicated to serving the AMD Semiconductor factory, the VA Hospital, and the new Austin Energy control center. In addition to this advantage, the company operates at an (n+1) level of redundancy, meaning it provides a minimum of one additional critical mechanical component for each of its power, A/C, internet connectivity, network connections and various other systems. This enables the company to remove a single component for service and repairs while continuously running its operation at full capacity 24/7/365.

About OnRamp

OnRamp was founded in 1994 in Austin, Texas. As one of Texas first Internet operations companies, OnRamps history is rooted in providing reliable and secure connectivity that enables distributed computing. Today, OnRamp is a data center operations company that delivers colocation, managed hosting, cloud and disaster recovery services backed by Full7Layer Support.

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#hrwins 2012 HR Companies to Watch Announced

Napa, CA (PRWEB) October 05, 2012

LAROCQUE, the leading Strategy and GoToMarket Consulting firm for HR related technology and the Human Capital Management (HCM) Marketplace, today announced the results of the 2012 #hrwins program, the first ever complete look at truly innovative HR Technology products across all categories.

The program spanned 9 months, and consisted of comprehensive HR Technology briefings, where more than 120 vendors were evaluated on their solutions innovation, the value their technology delivers to the Human Resources profession, and the overall viability of their products. Vendors in virtually all segments of Human Resources Technology were evaluated. This years #hrwins concludes with 20 HR Technology Vendors receiving the distinction of HR Companies To Watch.

When HR Technology vendors innovate they create an opportunity for HR, and the business of getting work done, to proceed to a much more desirable level., commented George LaRocque, President of LAROCQUE. He went on to say, When HR Technology vendors innovate, HR wins, hence #hrwins was born.

The process of vendor evaluations was exhausting, but well worth it. Innovation in HR Technology is alive and well. All of the vendors weve seen are providing value to the marketplace at some level. I would love to recognize every single one., said LaRocque. Every vendor participating deserves a huge thank you. The winners truly stood out from the pack.

Each of the 20 vendors receiving this distinction will have a report outlining the innovation they are delivering to help HR win. LAROCQUE is also publishing #hrwins Trend Reports, which are not vendor specific, outlining the technology and solution trends found through the #hrwins program. All of the #hrwins reports are published free of charge at http://www.larocqueinc.com

The 2012 #hrwins HR Companies to watch, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Bullhorn The Bullhorn Reach product has transcended the third-party staffing segment Bullhorn is normally recognized for, and has become a borderline industry standard for marketing of jobs via social media, as well as comprehensive social network monitoring.

#hrwins 2012 HR Companies to Watch Announced

Webhosting.net Announces A Product That Will Enhance the Way Companies View Desktops - Literally

Miami, FL (PRWEB) September 24, 2012

Webhosting.net is thrilled to offer VDI, the next step in cloud technology. Tried and tested our VDI solution allows all businesses the freedom and flexibility of a desktop in the cloud.

VDI is a Desktop as a Service (DaaS), so it is not isolated to an individual computer. Users can access their desktop from virtually any internet connected device or operating system including Windows computers, Macintosh, Linux and even an iPad. Webhosting.net can also supply a physical terminal to enable connection to the virtual desktop environment, without requiring a client device.

Webhosting.net offers managed or unmanaged desktop solutions. Companies can update software, virus protection and push applications without interrupting the end users productivity, or they can entrust Webhosting.net to manage it all for them.

Webhosting.net exclusively offers the ultimate Single Sign-on feature for VDI. It allows users to sign-on using one login and password to access all programs for example the trusted Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint and many other trusted products which allow authentication using Active Directory. This eliminates the hassle of keeping track of multiple logins within the same environment and allows for a single point for the user administrator.

Remote employees can login to their work desktop from anywhere. There is no need to worry about offsite backups, hurricanes, earthquakes or lost data if a computer crashes or gets lost the information still remains in the cloud and is quickly accessed by another device. VDI is a great enhancement to a Disaster Recovery plan and business continuity. If users must evacuate the premises their Desktop goes with them. All data is kept in Webhosting.nets secure cloud infrastructure, which can also offer companies an extra security layer in the event of intellectual property theft concerns.

About Webhosting.net

Established in 1998, Webhosting.net, offers Private and Hybrid VDI solutions. Using secure VPN tunnels between a companys corporate offices and their Virtual Desktop infrastructure, communication can be established between an existing on premise corporate environment and the webhosting.net cloud infrastructure to allow for communication between multiple sites anywhere in the world.

Contact Webhosting.net today to find out more about becoming one of the many companies Webhosting.net has successfully helped reduce costs and increase productivity using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Webhosting.net Announces A Product That Will Enhance the Way Companies View Desktops - Literally

New Compliance Training Series from Wombat Security Helps Companies Address PCI Awareness Training Requirements and Reduce Risk

Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) November 13, 2012

Wombat Security Technologies (Wombat), a leading provider of cyber security awareness and training solutions, today announced the release of its newest training series created to help retailers and businesses address key requirements of common privacy laws and data protection mandates, including PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. To ensure security policy and procedures are met and reduce the risk of data theft, security awareness training is a mandatory requirement of the PCI Data Security Standard for all employees who handle cardholder data. Wombats new compliance training series leverages the companys proven learning techniques to clearly explain data security requirements to employees and emphasize their responsibility towards securing sensitive information, while simplifying compliance monitoring and reporting for PCI managers.

The key is not just awareness; it is behavior change; as such, interactive security awareness training platforms help compliance managers effectively administer mandated employee education, prove the completion of training in the event of an audit, and actually change the way that employees behave. The result is lower risk for the organization said Andrew Walls, Vice President of Security, Risk and Privacy of Gartner. Companies that employ new interactive cyber security assessment and context aware security training software are reporting reductions in susceptibility to employee-targeted attacks, which translates to fewer breaches and lower remediation costs.

At the most recent PCI Council meeting, the organization reported that security breaches were at the worst level since the group was founded. With data breaches capturing top news headlines, it is more important than ever for companies to enhance their data security and compliance protocols. The 12 requirements for PCI DSS compliance include annual training of employees to maintain and enhance a businesss internal security controls.

Today every organization is a target for cyber criminals and employees are one of the primary attack vectors yet many businesses lack the expertise and resources to effectively train their people against these growing cyber threats, said Joe Ferrara, President and CEO of Wombat Security Technologies. As employees learn how to identify and report attacks, they become invaluable to a companys defensive as well as offensive security posture.

Wombats new compliance training series includes: PCI-DSS requirements, as well as, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Data Protection and Destruction so that compliance managers can:

New Compliance Training Series from Wombat Security Helps Companies Address PCI Awareness Training Requirements and Reduce Risk

Reaction Time Becomes Key For Tech Companies In The Face Of Hurricane Sandy.

Herndon, VA (PRWEB) November 26, 2012

Colocation Hosting and Cloud Services provider Big Brain Global partners with Northern Virginia Network Solutions firm InfoRelay Online Systems to offer clients unmatched disaster recovery services, at a time when dependability and connectivity are essential.

Panic was pervasive among companies along the eastern coast of the United States on Friday, October 26th, as fear of Hurricane Sandy manifested. Businesses that host their servers in-house were at the mercy of their local power companies and the associated infrastructure used to deliver power. Unfortunately, many companies did not have backup systems in place to prevent power and network outages.

Colocation hosting firm Big Brain Global alleviated some of these concerns. One of Big Brains clients contacted its Sales Engineering team on the Friday prior to Hurricane Sandy, explaining that it needed to colocate its network Infrastructure at a remote, redundant data center that could withstand the potential damages that may be incurred by the impending Superstorm, which was expected to hit within 48 hours. Big Brain Global’s CEO Brian Smith explains, They called Big Brain at 3PM Friday, and by 10:30PM, their order was confirmed and quoted… By 8PM on Sunday, the Big Brain team and its clients had begun turning-up their new network infrastructure. Big Brains strategic partnership with InfoRelay provided the tools necessary to deliver redundant network connectivity and power infrastructure by 2AM on Monday, just in time for the storm.

As the Sandy rounded the southeastern corner of the Tri-state area, InfoRelay Online Systems braced its facilities for impact, by leveraging the large investment that it had already made in high levels of redundancy. InfoRelays preparations included purchasing excess generator fuel and housing its highly-trained technicians at the hotel physically connected to its IAD4 data center for the duration of the storm. InfoRelay President Russell Weiss explains, When our Facilities Management Team first heard of the coming storm, they verified all fuel levels within InfoRelays fuel tanks. As the storm approached, InfoRelay placed orders with two different vendors to deliver fuel [in the coming] days after the impact of the storm. At our IAD4 facility in Herndon, VA, which is physically connected to the Dulles Hilton Suites, we took out several hotel rooms to house our staff, who stayed in the building throughout the duration of the storm. Thanks to our dedicated staff and our structured processes, our network and data centers remained completely stable. Other firms did not pull through the storm so gracefully though. Data centers in New York City, which host a variety of large websites such as The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Gawker, were forced into an outage, while another Equinix Data Center facility on 8th Avenue reportedly had a back-up power generator failure.

Through strategic collaboration, Big Brain Global and InfoRelay effectively prevented client service disruptions. Big Brain’s 48-hour turn-up of a client’s network system helped maintain the client firm’s operational continuity, which was of mounting concern because of the financial trading platform that client manages. The trading platform is directly connected to remote networks in the Philippines and in India, which would both continue regular operations regardless of the storm in America, putting additional strain on the client and emphasizing the need for redundant networks. With stable data centers and responsive action, a large portion of the incremental maintenance costs was saved, as well as lost sales revenues were prevented for the end-clients. Smith explains, I think the most important lesson learned from this ordeal is that agility is key. Our client’s distressed call came in just 48 hours before the expected storm, but with the help of our responsive team, and InfoRelay’s preparedness, we were able to prevent any lost revenues for the client.

Reaction Time Becomes Key For Tech Companies In The Face Of Hurricane Sandy.