Bridging the IT Gap: How Co-Managed IT Services Empower Your Business

Friday, October 4th, 2024

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses need agile and robust IT solutions to stay competitive. While an in-house IT team offers control and familiarity, it may lack the resources to tackle complex challenges or scale with growing demands. This is where co-managed IT services from NVITS come into play—a collaborative approach that combines your internal team’s strengths with our external expertise.

What Are Co-Managed IT Services?

Co-managed IT services involve a strategic partnership between your organization’s IT department and an external managed service provider (MSP) like NVITS. This hybrid model allows you to maintain control over critical IT functions while leveraging additional resources, specialized skills, and advanced technologies that might not be available internally.

The Benefits of Partnering with NVITS

1. Access to Specialized Expertise

Technology evolves rapidly, and staying ahead requires a diverse skill set. NVITS brings a team of seasoned professionals with expertise in areas like cybersecurity, cloud computing, and network optimization. We fill the gaps in your team’s knowledge base, ensuring your IT infrastructure is robust and up-to-date.

2. Scalability and Flexibility

As your business grows, so do your IT needs. Co-managed IT services offer the flexibility to scale resources up or down based on demand. Whether you’re launching a new project or expanding operations, NVITS can quickly adapt to provide the support you need without the delays associated with hiring and training new staff.

3. Cost Efficiency

Hiring, training, and retaining skilled IT professionals can be costly. By partnering with NVITS, you gain access to top-tier talent without the overhead expenses. This allows you to allocate budget towards other strategic initiatives while still maintaining a high level of IT support.

4. Enhanced Security Measures

Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and protecting your business requires constant vigilance. NVITS employs advanced security protocols and real-time monitoring to safeguard your data and systems. We help you navigate compliance requirements and implement best practices to minimize risk.

5. Focus on Core Business Functions

Delegating routine IT tasks to NVITS allows your internal team to focus on strategic projects that drive growth. This not only improves productivity but also enhances employee satisfaction by enabling them to work on initiatives that utilize their strengths and interests.

Why Choose NVITS for Co-Managed IT Services?

At NVITS, we believe in building partnerships that foster mutual growth and success. Our approach to co-managed IT services is collaborative and customized to fit your unique needs.

  • Tailored Solutions: We assess your current IT environment and develop a strategy that complements your team’s capabilities.
  • Proactive Support: Our 24/7 monitoring and maintenance prevent issues before they escalate, reducing downtime and disruptions.
  • Transparent Communication: We keep you informed with regular updates and reports, ensuring alignment with your business objectives.
  • Commitment to Excellence: Our team is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and continuously seeks ways to improve your IT operations.

How Co-Managed IT Works with NVITS

  1. Assessment: We begin by evaluating your existing IT infrastructure and identifying areas where additional support is needed.
  2. Strategic Planning: Together, we develop a plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and objectives.
  3. Implementation: NVITS integrates with your team, providing resources, tools, and expertise to enhance your IT capabilities.
  4. Ongoing Support: We offer continuous monitoring, updates, and support to ensure your IT environment remains secure and efficient.
  5. Review and Adjust: Regular reviews allow us to adjust strategies as your business evolves, ensuring sustained alignment with your goals.

Take the Next Step Towards Enhanced IT Collaboration

Embracing co-managed IT services with NVITS bridges the gap between your internal resources and the ever-growing technological demands of your industry. It’s a strategic move that empowers your business, enhances security, and promotes innovation.

Ready to elevate your IT strategy?

Contact NVITS today to discover how our co-managed IT services can transform your IT operations and drive your business forward.


What is UCaaS and How It Can Help Your Business

Monday, May 27th, 2024

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model that integrates various communication and collaboration tools such as voice, video, messaging, and conferencing into a single platform. This unified approach simplifies communication processes, reduces costs, and enhances operational efficiency.

Benefits of UCaaS

  1. Cost Savings:
    • Reduced Upfront Costs: Eliminates the need for significant capital investment in hardware and infrastructure.
    • Lower Maintenance Costs: Ongoing maintenance and upgrades are managed by the UCaaS provider, reducing the burden on internal IT resources.
  2. Scalability:
    • Flexible Expansion: Easily add or remove users and services as business needs change.
    • Adaptability: Quickly adapt to new technologies and market conditions without significant disruptions.
  3. Enhanced Productivity:
    • Seamless Integration: Combines multiple communication tools into one platform, improving workflow efficiency.
    • Real-Time Collaboration: Features like instant messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing enable teams to collaborate in real-time, regardless of their location.
  4. Improved Mobility:
    • Remote Access: Employees can access communication tools from any device, anywhere, supporting remote and hybrid work models.
    • Consistency: A unified platform ensures a consistent user experience across different devices and locations.

Key Features of UCaaS

  1. Voice and Telephony:
    • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): Enables voice communication over the internet, reducing costs and improving call quality.
    • PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network): Integrates traditional telephony with modern digital communication tools.
  2. Video Conferencing:
    • High-Quality Video Calls: Facilitates face-to-face meetings with high-definition video and audio.
    • Screen Sharing and Recording: Enhances collaboration during meetings with screen sharing and recording capabilities.
  3. Messaging and Chat:
    • Instant Messaging: Allows quick communication through individual or group chats.
    • Persistent Chat: Conversations are saved, enabling ongoing discussions and easy reference.
  4. Collaboration Tools:
    • File Sharing: Share and collaborate on documents in real-time.
    • Project Management: Integrated tools for managing tasks, projects, and workflows.
  5. Integration Capabilities:
    • Email Integration: Seamlessly integrate with email platforms like Microsoft Outlook for unified communication.
    • CRM Integration: Connect with customer relationship management (CRM) systems to enhance customer interactions.

Future Trends in UCaaS

  1. Artificial Intelligence (AI):
    • AI Assistants: Automate routine tasks and provide intelligent insights to improve decision-making.
    • Advanced Analytics: Use AI to analyze communication patterns and improve collaboration efficiency.
  2. Enhanced Security:
    • Advanced Encryption: Protect data with robust encryption methods.
    • Compliance: Ensure compliance with industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and others.
  3. Increased Integration:
    • IoT Integration: Connect UCaaS platforms with Internet of Things (IoT) devices for enhanced functionality.
    • Unified Platforms: Further integration with business applications and tools for a seamless user experience.

How UCaaS Can Help Your Business

  1. Improved Communication: By integrating various communication tools into a single platform, UCaaS ensures that all employees, regardless of their location, have access to the same high-quality communication tools. This improves the overall efficiency and effectiveness of business communication.
  2. Cost Efficiency: UCaaS reduces both capital and operational expenses. Businesses no longer need to invest heavily in infrastructure and can scale services according to their needs, paying only for what they use.
  3. Enhanced Collaboration: UCaaS supports real-time collaboration through features like video conferencing, screen sharing, and persistent chat. This facilitates better teamwork and faster decision-making.
  4. Flexibility and Scalability: UCaaS solutions are highly flexible and scalable, allowing businesses to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and business needs. This is particularly beneficial for growing businesses that need to scale their communication solutions quickly.
  5. Security and Compliance: Leading UCaaS providers offer robust security features and ensure compliance with industry regulations, helping businesses protect their sensitive data and maintain regulatory compliance.
  6. Remote Work Support: UCaaS enables businesses to support remote and hybrid work models effectively. Employees can access the same communication tools from any location, ensuring consistent productivity and collaboration.
  7. Customer Engagement: By integrating UCaaS with CRM systems, businesses can enhance their customer engagement strategies. This integration allows for better tracking of customer interactions and more personalized communication.

Objective Steps to Implement UCaaS in Your Business

  1. Assess Your Needs:
    • Identify Requirements: Determine the specific communication and collaboration needs of your business.
    • Evaluate Current Tools: Assess the effectiveness of existing tools and identify gaps that UCaaS can fill.
  2. Choose the Right Provider:
    • Research Providers: Compare UCaaS providers based on features, pricing, and customer support.
    • Consider Security: Ensure the provider offers robust security measures and compliance with relevant regulations.
  3. Plan the Transition:
    • Develop a Strategy: Create a detailed plan for transitioning from existing systems to the new UCaaS platform.
    • Communicate with Stakeholders: Keep employees and stakeholders informed about the transition process and timeline.
  4. Implement and Train:
    • Deploy the Platform: Roll out the UCaaS platform in phases to minimize disruptions.
    • Provide Training: Offer comprehensive training to ensure employees are comfortable using the new tools.
  5. Monitor and Optimize:
    • Track Performance: Monitor the performance of the UCaaS platform and gather feedback from users.
    • Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and optimize the platform to ensure it meets evolving business needs.

Conclusion

UCaaS offers a powerful solution for businesses looking to enhance their communication and collaboration capabilities. By integrating various tools into a single platform, UCaaS can help businesses reduce costs, improve productivity, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. Implementing UCaaS requires careful planning and execution, but the benefits it offers make it a worthwhile investment for businesses of all sizes.

At NVITS, we have evaluated and partnered with the leading UCaaS providers to offer you the best value, price, and support. Whether you’re looking to enhance communication, improve collaboration, or support a remote workforce, we have the expertise and partnerships to deliver top-tier solutions tailored to your needs. Trust NVITS to transform your business communication with industry-leading UCaaS services.

Contact us today to discover how our partnerships can benefit your business and keep you ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Surf at Lightning Speed: How to Optimize Google Chrome for Faster Browsing

Tuesday, April 30th, 2024

Introduction

Ah, Google Chrome. It’s like that fast car we all dream of—sleek, powerful, and supposedly quick. But just like a high-performance car can end up crawling in traffic, Chrome can sometimes slow to a snail’s pace. Why does this happen, and what can you do about it? Well, buckle up, because you’re about to turbocharge your browsing experience with some killer tips to speed up Google Chrome.

From tweaking settings to managing your extensions, we’ve got you covered. Ready to dive into a smoother, quicker browsing experience? Let’s get those engines revving!

Clear the Clutter: Cache and Cookies Management

Why it’s important: Every time you visit a website, Chrome stores pieces of the site in its cache and cookies. This is meant to make your browsing faster on subsequent visits. However, when these files accumulate, they can actually slow down your browser.

How to do it: Regularly clear your cache and cookies. You can do this from the Chrome settings menu:

  1. Click the three dots in the upper right corner.
  2. Go to “More tools” and select “Clear browsing data.”
  3. Choose the time range and what types of data you want to remove, then click “Clear data.”

Disable Unnecessary Extensions

Why it’s essential: Extensions can be incredibly useful, but each one you add eats into your RAM and CPU, potentially slowing down Chrome.

How to manage them:

  1. Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar.
  2. Review your installed extensions and disable (or remove) any that you no longer use or need.

Update Chrome Regularly

Why this helps: Google frequently releases updates for Chrome, which not only enhance security but also improve performance. An outdated browser can slow you down significantly.

Update process:

  1. Click the three dots in the upper right corner.
  2. Hover over “Help” and click on “About Google Chrome.” or Type chrome://settings/help/
  3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and prompt you to restart if necessary.

Utilize the Chrome Task Manager

What it does: Much like your computer’s task manager, Chrome has its own version that lets you see what tabs and extensions are eating up your CPU and memory.

Accessing the task manager:

  1. Click the three dots in the upper right corner.
  2. Go to “More tools” and select “Task manager.”
  3. From here, you can see which tabs or extensions to close or adjust for better performance.

Enable Hardware Acceleration

Why it’s beneficial: When enabled, hardware acceleration allows Chrome to offload certain tasks from the processor to the GPU, which is generally more efficient at handling them. This can significantly improve your browsing speed, especially for video-heavy sites.

How to enable it:

  1. Go to Settings or Type chrome://settings/ in the address bar
  2. Click on “Advanced” at the bottom.
  3. In the “System” section, ensure that “Use hardware acceleration when available” is turned on.

Settings - System 2024-04-30 at 11.51.20 AM

Optimize Chrome’s Flags

A word of caution: Flags can enhance your browsing experience but use them with caution as they can be unstable.

How to experiment safely:

  1. Type chrome://flags in your address bar.
  2. Explore the available flags. For speed enhancements, consider enabling options like “Experimental QUIC protocol” or “Parallel downloading.”

Conclusion

Revving up Chrome doesn’t require tech wizardry—just a bit of maintenance and tweaking settings here and there. By following these steps, you’ll ensure that Chrome is not just a shiny tool in your digital toolbox but a powerful one that meets your daily demands swiftly and efficiently.

Remember, a streamlined browser is your gateway to a more productive and less frustrating browsing experience. So, why wait? Start optimizing today and surf the web at the speed you deserve!

By implementing these simple yet effective strategies, you should see a noticeable improvement in your Google Chrome’s performance, making your internet surfing experience faster and more efficient. Ready to give these tips a whirl and see how they transform your browsing game?

Secure Ways to Share Passwords with Employees

Friday, December 1st, 2023

What is the most secure method of sharing passwords with employees?

Breached or stolen passwords pose significant challenges to an organization’s cybersecurity. Password-related issues account for more than 80% of data breaches. Hackers gain unauthorized access by exploiting stolen, weak, or frequently reused (and easily compromised) passwords.

But passwords are a part of life. Technologies like biometrics or passkeys haven’t yet replaced them. We use them for websites, apps, and more. So, companies need a secure way to share passwords with employees. As well as help them manage those passwords more effectively.

There are many cybersecurity threats and protecting sensitive information is crucial. Managing passwords securely is a top priority. Employees now have more passwords to deal with than ever before. According to LastPass, the average person has 191 work passwords.

One possible solution to securely sharing passwords with employees is by utilizing password managers, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Next, we will explore the benefits of password managers and discuss why it is considered one of the most secure methods for sharing passwords with employees.

What are the benefits of using a business password management app?

Password managers provide a secure digital storage for protecting passwords. The business versions offer options for separating work and personal passwords, as well as additional administrative features to prevent companies from losing important passwords.

Here are some reasons to consider using a password manager for improved data security.

Centralized Password Management

Password managers have a key advantage in centralizing password management. They prevent the use of weak, repetitive passwords and discourage storing them in unsafe locations. Instead, all passwords are stored in an encrypted vault. This centralization improves security and simplifies the secure sharing of passwords within a team.

End-to-End Encryption

Password managers use strong encryption methods to safeguard sensitive data. End-to-end encryption converts passwords into unreadable text during storage and transmission. This ensures that unauthorized users have a near-impossible time accessing the information.

When sharing passwords with employees, encryption enhances security by maintaining data confidentiality during transmission.

Secure Password Sharing Features

Password managers frequently include secure password-sharing features that enable administrators to share passwords with team members, while keeping the actual password concealed.

Employees can access the required credentials without seeing the characters. This prevents direct access to sensitive information. It is especially helpful when onboarding new team members or working on projects that require access to specific accounts.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Password managers often offer support for multi-factor authentication, which is considered an additional and vital security measure. MFA mandates the use of two or more verification methods prior to accessing an account.

MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access. Microsoft says it lowers the risk by 99.9%. Businesses should use MFA to enhance password security, especially when sharing sensitive information with employees.

Password Generation and Complexity

Password managers have built-in password generators. These generators create strong, complex passwords that are hard to crack. Employers can use these generated passwords when sharing passwords with employees. This ensures that employees use strong, unique passwords for each account.

This feature helps to reduce the risk of security breaches by eliminating the common practice of using weak passwords and reusing passwords across multiple accounts.

Audit trails and activity monitoring are important aspects of data security.

Many password managers offer monitoring as a feature. This feature allows users to track their activity and access history. Admins can see who accessed specific passwords and when. This promotes transparency and accountability in the organization.

The audit trail serves the purpose of identifying any suspicious activities and enables companies to quickly respond, ensuring the security of shared passwords.

Sharing with third parties can be done securely.

Password managers provide secure ways to share login information with third-party collaborators or contractors. Companies can give these external parties restricted access to certain passwords without compromising security.

This functionality is useful for businesses, especially those collaborating with external agencies or freelancers on multiple projects, as it helps maintain control of passwords within the organization.

There is no need to worry about losing a password when the only employee who knows it departs.

Are you interested in trying a password manager for your office?

Password managers provide a secure and convenient method for sharing passwords with employees, making them an essential tool for businesses looking to improve their cybersecurity measures.

By implementing password managers, businesses can enhance the security of their sensitive information. Additionally, password management solutions help foster a culture of security awareness among employees, making it a proactive measure to safeguard valuable data.

If you need assistance with securing a password manager, please contact us to schedule a conversation.

Some tools we recommend for our clients: 

Keeper One-Time Share allows users to share passwords and records with others for a set amount of time, regardless of if they have a Keeper account.

Anchor Text: Keeper One-Time Share

External Link: https://docs.keeper.io/user-guides/one-time-share

When sharing a password from within LastPass, the person you share the password with also needs a LastPass account. This restriction is due to the way LastPass’ encrypted sharing system works. Luckily, a LastPass account is free and won’t cost your friend or family member any additional dough.

Anchor Text: LastPass

External Link: https://www.lastpass.com/

The team at 1Password has provided a few ways to share passwords. If you are a member of a family or team account, you can share an entire collection of passwords, often referred to as a “vault.” However, they teach you how to share your passwords via a secure link whether or not they have a 1Password account.

Anchor Text: 1Password

External Link: https://1password.com/

Join other business owners just like and let us help you setup things properly to ensure your passwords are safe and are not stored in a spreadsheet 🙂