EstesCloud, Author at EstesGroup

How to Move Your Business to the Cloud

by EstesCloud | Nov 17, 2020 | Backup, Cloud, Hosting, Managed IT Services

How to Choose a Cloud for Your Business

Companies are moving to the cloud in droves, swift to flock to new IT solutions. Fortunately, there are a lot of birds wise to the server sky. When you’re choosing to put your data on a remote server (“the cloud”), you’ll need to know that your internet activity is secure and protected against disasters. Leveraging the power of off-site servers allows you to securely scale your system up, down or around. However, just how to move your business to the cloud can become a bit cloudy with so many hybrid, private, public and multi-cloud options available.

Two-Step to the Cloud

First of all, moving your business to the cloud allows you to effortlessly adapt your technology to your changing needs. When you host software on a physical server that’s right in your own building, you have to invest a lot of time and energy dancing around in-house technology management.

Is your server the right fit for your current state?
Can your server support your future goals?
Does your server justify its costs?
Is your server ready for a disaster? Where do your backups go?

Egress Expense and Other IT Considerations

If your software (whether a basic app or a complex ERP solution) is in the cloud, you pay for your specific usage, rather than a blanket allowance. Remote work enablement becomes easy sailing. Moreover, it opens the way for new ways of distributing your workforce. Furthermore, greater efficiency is a given. In the end, your secure, virtual office is everywhere you go, and you can also monitor and manage it from any location of your choice.

Unfortunately, data loss happens for every company. Sometimes through a breach. Sometimes through a disaster. Let’s look at a little data delirium:

More than 50% of us house our data in the same room as our core technology.
We tend to count on the data backup, meaning we miss the business continuity step of creating a disaster recovery policy.
Double trouble is a common business mistake. When your backup is stored on-premise with the core IT infrastructure, you take risks.
Moving to the cloud is often delayed by indecisiveness.

In summary, many businesses stand unprepared to for a company crisis, like a malware attack. Fortunately, our managed IT specialists can show you how to move your business to the secure cloud.

Move to the Cloud for Business Success

Here’s a basic walkabout of how to choose business cloud solutions:

Understand your cloud computing options. First, do a little research on different types of IT infrastructure. Then, look into your data history. See how technology helped your business become what it is today. Next, jot down ways you’re already using the cloud both personally and professionally. Finally, analyze your data and your communication needs. (In the end, awareness is key. For example, do you know if you use public cloud software and trust IT security to default infrastructure?) Do you need an entirely virtualized office? Do you need a hybrid cloud environment to host your data with lightning-fast sync and share capabilities?

To begin the cloud transition, separate your necessary data from the rest. Furthermore, question all of your software. Would you benefit from a more simple or a more advanced ERP system? What applications are necessary?

Decide public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud or multi-cloud deployment. Likewise, decide on a solid data backup plan for the transition.

Predict your costs and your roles. Responsibilities will change when your technology changes. Will your employees clearly know their responsibilities once your cloud solution is deployed? What’s your new IT budget, and who will be responsible for managing expenses? When you work with a managed service provider (MSP), you form a trust bond that operates at the highest level of corporate ethics. Do you trust the IT experts who will build, access, manage and monitor your new cloud?

Choose security, including business firewalls and automatic encryption. Who will manage vulnerable data? Do you need additional encryption services from your managed IT provider? Do you need all of your data encrypted or protected by advanced cybersecurity services? These are necessities for organizations that deal with sensitive data, and our IT experts specialize to keep up with compliance requirements for highly regulated industries (for example, managed IT for law firms or managed IT for hospitals).

See Through the Cloud

One of the great benefits of cloud technology is that you get to choose a solution that is exactly what you’re looking for. How to move your business to the cloud is dependent on so many factors that we recommend you get a software demo of your options and then work with cloud specialists to take it from there.

EstesCloud supports manufacturers and distributors, healthcare clinics and medical facilities, accountancies, law firms, government organizations, nonprofits, and more. Please fill in your information below, and our IT experts will arrange a personalized demo on how to move your business to the cloud.

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Malvertising Rising and Malware Mayhem

by EstesCloud | Nov 5, 2020 | Cloud, Managed IT Services, Network Security, Security

What is Malvertising?

Malvertising is a pet name for malware that’s delivered through online advertising techniques. The ads look authentic. Often, legitimate third-party marketing companies distribute them to reputable websites. Cybercriminals circulate this malware by posing as advertising careerists. The trick’s in the click. A banner ad tempts the viewer into clicking the offer. A successful malvertising campaign has an attractive (and secretly infected) ad laced to a convincing call to action. Malvertising malware attacks via reputable advertising networks, so it’s a more challenging threat than typical adware.

Red Teaming and the Big Bad Ad

Malvertising is only one of many types of malware, and understanding this cyberthreat’s origins can help you prevent a security breach. So, before you click on a cute kitten in a banner ad or click a link that claims you won a free skiing trip to Colorado, consider if the offer is legit. Moreover, is it even possible?

Unfortunately, the online ads of a hacker often appear to be from a reputable source. For full protection, ad blockers can prevent a malicious ad from ever appearing in your web browser. But if you do click on an ad and get suspicious results, you can take some steps to save your system:

Report the incident to an IT specialist for investigation.
Scan your operating system immediately, looking for malicious software and fileless malware.
After all vulnerabilities are addressed, use advanced cybersecurity testing methods to ensure advanced attacks can’t penetrate your system.

Types of Malware

To demonstrate the importance of cybersecurity, let’s look at some of the most common types of malware infecting businesses this year. At the same time, let’s consider managed IT services that can solve the problem of cyberthreats. First, let’s ask a few questions to see if your devices are prepared for the disaster of a cyberattack:

Do you have an incident response policy?
Do you have a business continuity plan?
When disaster strikes, will your team know how to respond?
Can your team recognize different types of malware and respond intelligently to threats?

Viruses

Once a virus gets into a computer, it propagates by copying itself. Hence, it infects another program and then another, and this continues through a viral spread similar to a cold or flu outbreak. If you’ve installed a free version of an antivirus software, consider upgrading to a more comprehensive cyber security solution. You can’t remove all malware with a simple click of a button, so if you think you’ve been hit with a computer virus, consult with an IT expert. Meanwhile, alert colleagues that a virus has entered the building.

There are many types of malware that fall into the realm of “virus” and are therefore covered by antivirus programs. For example, you can pick up worms and trojans while browsing online or while opening emails. Fortunately, a click, a download or a similar user behavior is required to activate this type of malware. This means that we can proactively stop viruses by training users while protecting them with antivirus software. Cybersecurity awareness and training can help users interact with devices in ways that prevent the spread of computer viruses. Most importantly, you can keep your software, including anti-malware software, up to date and patched.

Spyware

If you imagine malware is a person, then spyware is the undercover intelligence of the hacking world. Primarily, it enters personal and business networks through legitimate downloads. It slips into the system undetected and then spies on your personal information, sharing your sensitive data with the people behind the cyberattack. Hackers frequently access accounts simply by guessing the username and password. Multi-factor authentication or an installation of a password manager can help prevent a spyware attack.

Similar to malvertising, spyware poses an internet security risk that is difficult for users to detect. Cybersecurity security specialists can help because they’re trained IT professionals who can see the trickery that is often invisible to you and other users. Once spyware is in your computer, it collects your information through a keystroke logger or a screen capture software. At the same time as it’s capturing your data, it can send it to a hacker via a portal like a malicious website. This data can then be used to launch a more advanced attack like ransomware.

Do you have spyware on any of your devices? A security audit and a workstation assessment can detect network threats and vulnerabilities. A dark web scan can determine if you’re at increased risk due to past data breaches.

Ransomware

The popularity of cryptocurrency encouraged the propagation of ransomware. In fact, ransomware now stands as the biggest cyberthreat for small businesses. Rather than destroying data, ransomware usually holds it hostage until the ransomed business owner pays a fee to free the system from the attacker. If the ransom isn’t paid, then the hacker will destroy or keep the data. This private information can end up on the dark web market, resulting in unknown and untraceable crimes. How does ransomware gain access to your network? This type of malware often begins with a malvertising click.

If attacked, should you pay the ransom? One of the great benefits of partnering with a managed IT services firm like EstesGroup is that you will have IT specialists helping you when and if you’re ever the target of a ransomware attack. Proactive IT strategy can prevent revenue lost to ransomware fees. When you deploy backup and disaster recovery solutions, you don’t have to budget to pay off the cybercriminal behind your ransomware. You can ignore the attack completely if your data is replicated through a cloud-based DRaaS solution. Rather that pay the hacker, you can contact your IT specialist to handle the problem for you. Additionally, you can prevent the problem with cybersecurity solutions. For example, we can completely block risky internet traffic that harbors ransomware.

Botware

Fear not the bots? Botware floods your devices with denial-of-service attacks. It buries its own method in mystery. If your computer’s CPU is in overdrive because of a botware installation running in the shadows, then you’ll notice an overactive fan and a higher electric bill. Botware can be difficult to detect but can create havoc by replicating itself into seemingly legitimate applications. Clear botware from your system with anti-malware services.

Malvertising & Malicious Adware

Malvertising attacks are on the rise. Pop-ups, widgets, apps, and toolbars all can infect computers. Clicks and other user interactions trigger malware infections. Fortunately, Google created tools and educational resources for users to easily understand and report a malvertising campaign.

Cybercriminals often use display advertisements to deceive users. Auto-redirecting ads work by tempting the viewer into a click that takes the victim to a phishing site. Advanced cybersecurity solutions can detect malicious code in these ads. However, corporate data is safest if ad blockers are installed.

A common malvertising trick tempts the viewer into a free security scan. During the scan, the cybercriminal gains access to the computer. Then, the hacker can install any type of malware. If you use a third-party marketing firm for your business, you might host malware through ads that appear legitimate. If this happens, Google will penalize your site. Therefore, take caution when using third-party marketing tools.

Marketing Mimicry: How You Become the Malware

Malicious advertising easily tricks you into a click, so keep vigilant, especially when interacting with display ads. Be sure to report any suspicious ads to Google. If the ad’s script contains suspicious code, including encrypted code, then remove the ad immediately and file a report. Display advertisements often distribute malware to businesses through auto-redirecting ads that lead to a phishing page. If you avoid the click bait, then you prevent malicious code from attacking your computer system. Here’s a malvertising play-by-play that gives you an example of how this type of malware attack might unfold:

You sign up for a third-party marketing service, and the company distributes banner ads to help you grow your business.
A cybercriminal creates an ad that’s infected with malicious code.
Someone sees your ad and clicks, and the malvertising ad redirects the victim to a phishing site.
The cybercrime victim spots the threat and reports your malicious advertising campaign to Google. As a result, you’re flagged by Google for hosting malware. In turn, this penalty hurts your online presence.

Magnificent Malware: And Then What Happens?

Malicious advertising harms businesses. It hits everything from law firms to real estate agencies. What will you do if you’re a victim of malicious click bait? First, you should report the attack. Then, you should create new cybersecurity policies that include ad verification steps. Be careful of all ads that you see online, especially if they appear in the form of pop-ups. For the safety of your business, consider blocking all ads and deploying robust malware protection across networks and devices.

If you see something that you think shouldn’t be in your software, give us a call, and we’ll help you analyze suspicious code. If your business depends on sensitive data, consider managed security solutions, including managed application hosting. Enterprise resource planning systems are complex and frequently targeted by cybercrime. EstesGroup combines IT with business application expertise to keep Epicor, Syspro, QuickBooks, Sage, and other ERP systems working optimally. We host large organizations on our secure server through virtual office technology.

Cloud Technology and Managed Application Hosting Protection

EstesCloud protects businesses from all types of malware. Our SECaaS (Security as a Service) solution lets you do the work only you can do, while our IT consultants protect your hard work. Our IT services cover every stage of business development, growth and change. In fact, our IT consultants work closely with our ERP specialists to build custom solutions for your technology infrastructure. For example, our Epicor consulting services complement our managed application hosting and managed security solutions for Department of Defense manufacturers.

Benefits of Managed IT Services For Your Business

by EstesCloud | Oct 23, 2020 | Cloud, Hosting, Managed IT Services, Network Security

Is IT at the heart of your company?

Imagine your company is a heart, and managed IT services provide the health benefits to sustain your entire business system. You do the work you love, and your customers, your employees, and your products keep the beat. Technology is the energy that feeds each beat, helping you keep your rhythm. On that note, let’s look at the top benefits of managed IT services and how outsourcing some of your technology infrastructure can bring new value to your business.

Benefits of managed IT services for IT networks

Attention from an IT managed services provider gives you freedom.

If you’re a small business owner, you might have core people wearing the hats of IT, without the time or resources to fully engage new technology. Whenever you supplement your internal resources with external IT consulting experts, you open up time to focus on what you do best. Likewise, you free your people, meaning they’ll have more time for creativity and thought leadership in your organization. By freeing your core team from the responsibilities attached to the fast-changing complexities of technology, you ensure focus on your products, your processes, and your customer service.

Risk management, as a central feature of IT solutions, ensures uptime.

Straightaway, one of the top benefits of managed IT services is that you don’t have to worry about your backups. Similarly, your cybersecurity infrastructure and your compliance adherence is always at its best. As a result, you experience more uptime. Less time is lost to researching the latest security software or the most recent regulations affecting your industry. Moreover, a managed services provider (MSP) provides a solid risk management plan:

Data management, including backup solutions and backup testing
Network care, including network administration and security
Systems and software support, including 24/7 incident response monitoring and assistance
User training and testing capabilities, including penetration testing and real-time analytics
Audit and assessment management, including planning and scheduling

Supporting in-house talent with out-house IT skillsets

You wouldn’t want to ask your employees to beat your heart for you. Many companies find themselves in this sort of “CPR for IT” scenario. A break-fix methodology might work for a glitch in your network. However, more robust attacks can quickly sap the life from your core.

Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself in a situation that needs a more heroic save. Eventually, an aging server or a spear phishing attack will make you consider outsourcing some of the more difficult technology management. Whether you’re looking at cybersecurity or private cloud hosting, a good MSP doesn’t only provide a mere lifeline for your business. Rather, a managed services provider should prevent attacks and disruption.

Partnership with proven IT consultants and solutions gives you predictable costs in a scalable and adaptable framework.

Why choose an outsourced IT service? An information technology scramble can feel similar to a panic attack. If you fall behind on patches or updates, either on the software side or the hardware end of things, you open yourself up to ever-evolving threats. One of the great benefits of managed IT services is lower risk, and this means increased stability for your IT budget. Furthermore, you can know your investment brings your business the top solutions available to your industry.

Your partnership with a consulting firm of technology experts gives you talent aligned with your unique needs. Service level agreements define the relationship and the commitment. An MSP partnership acts as your metronome, meaning your technology is predictable and always set at the pace you’d like to keep.

Advanced technology means the sky’s the limit for business growth and success.

If your heart’s wish is to be a Boeing or a Lockheed Martin but you only have 100 employees to set your pace, rather than 100,000+, then partnering with an MSP levels the playing field by integrating advanced technology early in your game.

Why not implement advanced IT solutions in-house?

Malware is the tip of the spear in cyberthreat management, and compliance goes far beyond CMMC or HIPAA. MSP consultants let you focus on core business initiatives, while your outsourced resources reduce risk at lower monthly costs than if you’d solo the challenge. Especially if you’re caught in a cycle of break-fix services, you know how unpredictable technology can be, and managed services takes all the worry out of IT.

An MSP opens your doors to highly qualified, certified and experienced IT technicians, engineers and architects. In the end, your managed services provider holds the responsibility of keeping your technology competitive and secure. New solutions can be implemented while you’re thinking about future products and new customers.

With cloud solutions on the rise, you can stay above the storm by utilizing a team specifically trained for virtualization. You can work in Loveland, Colorado (home to the EstesGroup headquarters), or you can work from any airport or hotel or office building in the nation.

Benefits of managed services for cloud solutions

Advanced persistent threats are moving businesses into the secure lining of cloud technology. Moreover, the cloud provides the most economical long-term infrastructure to scale your business. New challenges to data management surface daily. Cloud services prevent revenue loss by keeping you up-to-date and secure. Cloud-based IT circumvents natural disasters and human errors. Across systems and devices, your backups and your real-time data are secured against ransomware and other malicious attacks. This is especially true when considering complex cloud ERP architecture.

Due to complex sync and share capabilities, workers are empowered through remote enablement, including virtual office deployment. As a result, your business is keeping pace with new, mobile technology. Meanwhile, your sensitive information and valuable business assets (the heart of your business) are secured by SECaaS (security as a service) in the cloud. Remote monitoring keeps track of your hardware and software for you. With telemedicine on the rise, a managed services company enables privacy protection that exceeds regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability). Unquestionably, the cloud makes compliance cost effective, and your in-house IT team is free from monitoring new governance and regulation.

EstesGroup tailors managed IT services through solutions that meet everything from basic needs to advanced requirements. In addition, our EstesCloud managed services provide private cloud hosting to support advanced IT needs, and we call our hosting platform ECHO. Our data centers protect sensitive data. Our IT services division is headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, but we have happy clients throughout the nation. Please ask to speak to them. EstesGroup also leverages the benefits of managed IT solutions with enterprise resource planning.

Learn more about managed IT

Learn more about what it means to be an MSP (Managed Services Provider) by chatting with us today. EstesGroup can Monitor, Protect, and Serve your business. See why companies choose managed IT by asking to talk to our happy customers.

How to Stop Social Engineering Attacks

by EstesCloud | Oct 16, 2020 | Cloud, Managed IT Services, Network Security, Security

Cybersecurity in the Ballot Box, the Bistro and the Bedroom

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time when organizations across America join together to educate the public about cyberthreats like social engineering (especially phishing attacks). This year, it’s also the last full month to decide your vote for the 2020 election. As citizens consider the future of our country, we see the tech giants coming together to prevent election crime, while tech users struggle to keep up with device security. With online fraud on the rise, how do you know your business is protected from a cyberattack, especially when considering advanced techniques like social engineering?

How to stop social engineering attacks with access, login, passwords, security

Digital integrity continues to drive decisions in both the public and private sectors. Your online presence creates data that can be used to influence you. How many times have you seen an ad in your web browser and thought, “How in the world!? I was just thinking about that!” Because everything we do online can be tracked, documented, exchanged, and sold, we need to be aware of the risks. However, there’s no need to fear for your online safety. Our security consultants can quickly scan the dark web to see if your data is in the wrong hands.

National Cybersecurity Month comes to us from organizations that promote assertiveness, rather than paranoia. We don’t have to be afraid of our connectivity or our devices. On the contrary, we need to embrace them holistically and attentively (and with a little help from the cybersecurity experts).

How to stop social engineering attacks at work and at home

Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.

Home Connectivity: This week’s cybersecurity awareness theme is “Securing Devices at Home and Work.” When reviewing the year, did you spend time working from home? Did you have children suddenly in Zoom classes, rather than in a traditional classroom? Did you have the resources you need (virus, malware, and ransomware protection) to stay safe online?

Business Technology: Your business couldn’t operate without digital interactions with devices outside of your office walls. Furthermore, your business can’t operate without a dedicated plan for protecting employee and customer data. How do hackers get into your system? Common external penetration methods include baiting, phishing, and spear phishing.

Baiting: Curiosity killed the network

First of all, baiting attacks can begin with hardware or with software. For example, a hacker can leave a corrupted flash drive on your desk, and the attack begins with the physical action of a user plugging it into a laptop and then clicking through files that install malware throughout the system. How to stop this social engineering technique from attacking your business begins with employee cybersecurity awareness training.

October is a perfect month for bringing in external cybersecurity resources to help bolster your team. To begin, we can provide system assessments that surface hacker access points. Then, our engineers can test your users. For example, our security technicians can engineer a scareware drill to make users think they’re clicking to patch, when really they’re getting tricked into a click. If your employees understand the various forms of baiting, then you can prevent a data breach.

Phishing: The one that got away

Did you ever see a prompt to “click here” or “download now” from an email that was obviously fake? In the past, phishing emails were more obvious. A strange font or a missing signature was clue enough. Unfortunately, advanced social engineering technology now lets a cybercriminal twin a real user’s software behaviors.

Because phishing is the most common social engineering tactic, NIST recently developed the Phish Scale, a cybersecurity tool that helps businesses surface network vulnerabilities by assessing cues, click rates, and user interactions in regard to phishing email difficulty levels. This new method of testing phishing attempts assists cybersecurity experts by evaluating spoofed emails through advanced data analysis. CIOs, CISOs, and other technology experts can use this tool to optimize phishing awareness and training programs.

Spear Phishing: In IT together

Often, a phishing email comes to your inbox addressed specifically to you but without personal information as part of its composition. Therefore, signs of imitation are more easily observed. “Click to download” prompts hesitancy if the email comes with a generic invitation.

When an email comes through with more personalized data, like a personal email signature or an attached thread of coworkers, it can trick you into thinking the sender is legit. In this case, a hacker follows the digital footprints of a user and engineers that data to create a personalized phishing attack. Think of this as the Shakespeare of social engineering, and the play is written for you and with you as the inspiration.

When organizations create security strategies in an effort to prevent social engineering attacks, phishing prevention is always a sign of a thorough plan. When considering phishing emails, keep in mind that malware can stay undetected in a system for months before the IT department discovers the penetration. Spear phishing can prompt a sly malware that quickly infects an entire network.

Vote to Stop Cybercrime

At EstesGroup, we know how to stop social engineering attacks from harming your business. Furthermore, we know how to take the worry out of IT (with managed IT). Protecting everything from saved credentials to individual clicks, our cybersecurity experts defend your business while you do the work you love. Do your coworkers need practice in recognizing the fraudulent behaviors fueling social engineering attacks? October is a perfect month to initiate new security policies and procedures, and to test your cybersecurity plan.

EstesGroup is a 2020 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion. We provide the most secure cloud solutions available to businesses. Read more about National Cybersecurity Month at the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) or at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Phishing prevention is a challenge even for tech companies. Our information security tips can help you avoid a data breach. Talk to our cybersecurity experts today about how you can protect your business.

Private Cloud Solutions For Businesses Webinar

What is Disaster Recovery as a Service?

by EstesCloud | Oct 9, 2020 | Backup, Cloud, Managed IT Services, Security

A DRaaS Solution For Drastic Measures

A look at word origins surrounding business continuity can help answer the question, “What is disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS)?” The word “disaster” contains the ancient weight of misfortunate heavens. As history goes, disaster is simply a bad star, and recovery is the return from unfortunate fate. In today’s technological culture, “recovery” (to the core of IT) means a return to digital health following a software or hardware mishap. On this note, let’s take a closer look at the fate of your business to help you clarify both the “what” and the “if” of your disaster recovery as a service strategy.

Is Your Data on a Close Cloud or on a Faraway Star?

It would take you more than 1000 human lifetimes to reach the closest star in our galaxy. If your current disaster recovery plan is at that same pace, then you might need to bet your luck on a different disaster recovery plan. This is where DRaaS services benefit companies. With real-time backups and fast restore solutions, the hybrid cloud architecture of DRaaS keeps your business operating on proven luck, rather than on hopeful wishes.

First of all, your lucky stars in IT (especially when it comes to disaster recovery) are always at a distance. Your business creates volumes of data, especially if you’re operating in an ERP solution. You need a backup that isn’t directly on-site in case a natural disaster takes out your IT infrastructure. By creating a virtual office environment, for example, you can securely work from home if your office has a fire.

If you’re asking “what’s DRaaS?” then it might be a good time to revise your disaster recovery policies. Data recovery services contain, in essence, a distance of time. Therefore, you need to consider how long can you survive before a data restoration returns your business to normal activities. How much downtime is acceptable? Hours? Days? A week or longer? Hopefully, you’re not merely wishing on stars for things like business continuity and business resiliency.

Backup and Data at a Distance

Distance is a protective step for backup and disaster recovery planning. However you choose to copy your data locally, you need to protect your on-premise data with a remote recovery solution. As a feature of top DRaaS solutions, co-located data centers ensure that nothing you want to keep is lost in the shuffle of a disaster recovery. DRaaS allows you to exclusively focus on your business, while data recovery specialists carry the weight of replication stability and everything else, like clean rooms and compliance regulations.

Fundamentally, if you’re a business owner, you need two things when developing your disaster recovery plan:

A protected (often remote) environment that holds your backups
A plan for data recovery in the event that you need to tap into your backups

What’s DRaaS According to Fate?

A DRaaS solution is simply a private cloud computing environment on a partner’s server. Your data backups sync to a secure cloud, and an auxiliary server comes to the rescue when disaster strikes. For example, if your system goes down, and you’re using our DRaaS solution, your business seamlessly moves to a cloud-based server reserved for your data during the duration of a disaster data loss. What exactly happens following a disaster? Is your data recovery software ready?

First, you experience a hardware or a software failure. This might be ransomware, or this might be a hurricane.
Next, you realize your system is in the middle of a disaster, but you don’t worry because you’ve chosen DRaaS as part of your business continuity plan.
Then, business goes on as normal because your solution keeps your business running in a third-party computing environment. Your virtual server prevents downtime and data loss by moving you to a comprehensive virtual office. When your physical servers are compromised, your hybrid cloud infrastructure serves to keep your company running smoothly, ensuring productive employees and happy customers in your near future. This often means working remotely because what’s DRaaS good for on-premise if your facility is in shutdown mode?
Finally, you’re restored to business as usual, according to your recovery and restoration plan. The disaster is over. Your business continues, and your customers don’t even know you were compromised.

How to Choose Between Basic Recovery Solutions and DRaaS

DRaaS is a robust solution, allowing complex manufacturing facilities to operate without the threat of server failure. But how do you decide if you need the best available disaster recovery services? First, consider your luck. Then, consider your backups. What is the likelihood that your business will experience a disaster?

Do you live in an area with hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes?
Are you on a rural grid with frequent utility outages?
Are you light on cybersecurity, and therefore at risk of a cyberattack?
Did you ever spill a coffee on your keyboard and delete important data in the cleanup?
Do you have old hardware that might fail from normal wear and tear?

More than half of data loss is caused by human mistakes. From cyber attacks to deleted files, human error is as steady as the constellations. Unfortunately, 58% of small and midsize businesses are not prepared for any level of data loss. On the same note, 29% of hard drive failures are due to accidents, and this data loss in such an event is entirely preventable.

At first and at last, consider your losses. If you were to experience a “bad star” data disaster, what are your expectations for your data restore?

Can your business survive a few days of downtime?
Can your employees and your customers handle a few days or weeks of data erasure?
Do you need failover and failback to maximize uptime and secure data by the minute or the hour?

We “R” in the Cloud

Replication, Retention, Recovery, Restoration, RPO, and RTO

Data replication and retention couple for data protection. You create copies of your data so that you can recover any losses in your future. Data replication can create real-time copies in the cloud. Backup services for data replication and retention can also migrate data into cloud storage for backup or even for analytics. Data from physical servers can be replicated, or copied, to support easy availability during a disaster recovery. Because data retention is often a requirement for compliance, companies benefit from data replication services, even if they don’t require a hot site during a disaster.

Data recovery and restoration couple for data continuity. To create a disaster recovery plan, you need to consider RPO and RTO. Understanding these helps you define your best options when recovering data.

What’s DRaaS RPO?

Recovery point objectives are based on your data replication needs in terms of frequency of application backup. At the end of the day, how much data loss can your business withstand?

What’s DRaaS RTO?

How much time can your lose? Your recovery time objective refers to your accepted timeline to data recovery and application restoration. Do you want your business to live on the cloud until on-premise resources are restored? Or can you handle a day or two of downtime?

What is Disaster Recover as a Service for the Future?

Do you want seamless cloud environments to allow for full business continuity during a disaster? Future-focused, a virtual server provides 100% RTO by moving your work into a failover cloud computing environment, regardless of your disaster scenario. The fate of your business with private cloud hosting keeps you thanking your lucky stars that your disaster recovery plan continuously protects your digital well-being.

Learn how ECHO can echo your data

EstesGroup can help define and design your recovery process based on your operating systems and your private and public cloud usage. We can even perform data and backup testing so that you can rest easy knowing that your data is safe, secure, and always protected. We’ll count your data stars for you, so you can focus on the work you love.