8 Steps to redefine your IT spend…

8 Steps to redefine your IT spend...

A Step-by-Step guide on how to identify erroneous charges that are inflating your monthly communication and cloud expenditures.

In today’s economic climate, Financial and IT leaders recognize the need to redefine how they visualize, manage, and optimize all components of their network and IT spend. They need to identify cost reductions, process automation, and cost allocations, as well as inventory their telecom and equipment assets – all with a reliable contract management system.
You can achieve all these objectives by choosing the right partner with the right tools. You need a partner who uses advanced systems that automate all these processes with customized checks and balances, validated through advanced algorithms. Payment files can also be automated and fully mapped to your specifications, all centrally stored for easy collaboration through business intelligence tools and custom dashboards.

The right trusted partner will reduce your carrier and cloud spend by an average of 18-35%. You also need your partner to provide you with the right tools to manage your telecom and IT projects through a secure, cloud-based inventory management solution. Payments files and single-funding payment processing can be 100% automated to eliminate human error, dramatically reduce personnel time, and avoid unnecessary late fees.

In this short video, you’ll learn what the right partner can do for you. Now let’s look in more detail at key process steps for optimizing your IT spend.


8 Steps to redefine your IT spend…

1. Inventory

Document all existing services and expenses across the existing telecommunication footprint, including but not limited to, existing circuit ID’s, ESN’s, device types, service descriptions, features, IP addresses, software, Cloud, hardware, licenses, and telephone numbers (landline and mobile).

  • Document Existing Services
  • Analyze utilization report.
  • Establish service baseline.
  • Validate Status of Existing Voice Line
  • Document Existing Contracts

2. Auditing Baseline

Contrast existing invoice to contracted rates Business Intelligence portal.

  • Compare Invoices to Contracted Rates
  • Document Billing Errors
  • Generate Business Intelligence Reports

3. Market Analysis

  • Perform Market Analysis -Perform Market Analysis to understand pricing and technology available in today’s market with existing and potential carriers. We will help the customer to understand pricing and service options with existing and prospective service providers.

4. Monthly Bill Auditing

Reviewing invoices on monthly basis for accuracy by duplicating the Audit Baseline steps monthly.

  • Review Invoices for Accuracy
  • Prepare Cost Allocations
  • Prepare Monthly Billing Intelligence Reports

5. Payment Solution

Procuring approved monthly payments to end user’s providers or end user’s AP system depending on end user request.

  • Process Monthly Invoice Payments
  • On-demand Financial Reporting

6. Wireline Help Desk

  • Provide wireline and wireless help desk and project management services to manage moves, adds, changes, and disconnects on end user’s network after the initial assessment. Additionally, we will centrally support billing tickets. We will work with your service providers to assure all relevant Service Level Agreements for changes and disputes are handled in a timely fashion.

7. Cost Savings Analysis

  • Savings recommendations are based on the initial inventory and audit findings and monthly invoice audits. We will make cost savings analysis available via the business intelligence portal.
    • Audit & Cost Recovery Savings
    • Monthly Cost Savings

8. Additional Services

Provide training to end user on how to navigate and operate the portal.

  • Audit & Cost Recovery Savings
  • Monthly Cost Savings


Click to connect
..

Virtual CIO (vCIO)

Virtual CIO
Services (vCIO)

Our Virtual CIO (vCIO) services provide organizations with strategic and tactical resources to ensure they have access to real world experience and current industry trends. 

Businesses that work with our vCIO's are looking to get the most from technology while avoiding the dangers that it can present to their business consistency.

Our vCIO customers benefit from our relations with hundreds of vendors across the technology areas listed below. Customers have a dedicated vCIO who understands their business, culture and objectives.

Cybersecurity

Protect your most valuable assets with industry-leading solutions. 

Cloud Services

Harness the power of the cloud to support remote work and business growth.

Voice

Increase employee collaboration, communication, and productivity.

Networking

Optimize your voice and data networks while minimizing spend across your organization.  

IT Strategy

Ensure that your IT operations are aligned with and supporting your business objectives.

Fill out our Contact Us form to have one of our Virtual CIOs reach out and give you some real world examples of how we have helped companies select and implement the right technologies for their business.

Our Founders

Chris Dodge

President/CEO

Chris Dodge is the President/CEO of Virsage Solutions. As one of the original founders, Chris’s background in operations and engineering provided a critical foundation for Virsage’s ability to deploy scalable, quality services to their customers. He has extensive experience in system design, ERP administration and implementation, and information technology management. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.

Daniel Malishkin

Chief Technical Officer

Daniel Malishkin is the Chief Technology Officer for Virsage Solutions. Daniel’s experience covers network design, implementation, migration and administration. With a depth of technical design and operations experience, his background gives him a unique insight into client needs and how they can best manage, and benefit from their technology infrastructure, from the desktop to the data center. Daniel has accumulated a wealth of industry certifications over his 25 year career.

SDWAN

about-bg-10
SD-WAN
SD-WAN increases network agility
and reduces cost for multiple locations.

SD-WAN reinvents the traditional WAN using the power of virtualization.  Watch the video below to see a demonstration of the importance of SD-WAN.

Advantages

One NEtwork from multiple carriers

With SD-WAN there may be multiple network carriers used across multiple locations. Allowing network changes to be made much easier.

Performance Monitoring

An SD-WAN’s single console and uniform software deployment make it possible to monitor network and application performance at any point in the network.

Location Agility

Enable multiple links, devices, and services to coexist and interoperate. With the use of software to make the network function, it becomes easier and faster to turn on new endpoints or change locations.

Balance Costs

With greater carrier choice and uniform hardware, SD-WAN evens out the cost differences between locations.
Contact us today to get a full agnostic look into how we can help you implement SD-WAN and save your business money and time.

UCaaS

close up employee call center man hand point to press button number on telephone office desk with virtual communication technology concept
Improve employee collaboration and
communication

Hosted VoIP or Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) refers to a phone system that uses Voice over Internet Protocol to provide a Cloud-based phone system for businesses. 

Why buy a cloud system over an on-premises phone system?

Enjoy ultimate flexibility as access to “seats” are typically purchased on a monthly basis and can scale up and down as needed. There’s none of the capital equipment or hardware costs associated with legacy phone systems.

How does a Hosted VoIP system work?

The hosted infrastructure required to provide UC functions (chat, presence, etc.) resides in the data center of your service provider. Your IP connection to the cloud allows users to access that functionality.

Benefits to consider:

Employee mobility

Scalability

Security

Ongoing cost savings

Quick install

Easy to use

We can also offer Microsoft Teams Integrations

Work together from anywhere, on any device, and see how real-time collaboration in Microsoft Teams can help you achieve more.

Contact Center

Does your business have a contact center or help desk in-office? Having a Cloud Contact Center solution allows your employees to support your clients while working from home. It also provides real-time reporting for managers.

Main Features

Diverse Technology

Optimize your business communications with enterprise class voice, fax, text, call handling, mobile apps, and BYOD capability.

User Experience

Provide a consistent feature set and user experience to all users around the globe.

Integration

Seamlessly integrate with business applications.

Mobile

Integrate BYOD smartphones and tablets into business phones.

Anytime, Anywhere

Manage your entire system whenever, wherever you want.

Contact us today to get a full agnostic look into how we can help you migrate to a hosted VoIP phone system that will meet your budgetary and technology goals.

365 Migrations

Cloud computing concept. Communication network.
Migrate With Confidence
Microsoft and Office 365
Migration Services

Having Migrated thousands of users to the Microsoft 365 platform, the Virsage team is ready to help you make the move.

Experienced

Virsage has been migrating companies to hosted and Cloud-based environments since 2008.

Certified

Virsage is a Microsoft Direct Cloud Service Provider and Silver Cloud Platform Partner.

Project Management

Our Project Management team will coordinate communications and schedules.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Get Cyber Threat Protection & Device Management With Microsoft 365® Business Premium! Up To 5 Devices Per User. Unlocks Creativity. Safeguard Information. Online & Offline Access. Built For Teamwork. Intelligent Security. Trusted & Secure.

Microsoft Teams

Stay up-to-date with your projects and with your team
using a shared workspace that puts collaboration, chat,
calls, and meetings together in one central hub.

• Host 1:1 and team meetings from any device. 

• Connect and meet with contacts inside and outside
your organization.

• Collaborate and co-author in real time with file
editing across familiar Office 365 apps such as Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint.

Office 365

Office 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that brings together the best tools for the way people work today.

Get more done | Secure Data | Work Better

Get the office apps you know with built-in AI tools and online file storage and sharing, protect your company against threats, and collaborate, share and communicate better.

Office 365 Crash Course

In this eBook from Microsoft, you’ll learn how to make the best use of specific Office 365 apps across six critical areas of your business: mobility, teamwork, communication, security, productivity, and insights.

Citrix

Network security concept. Cyber protection. Anti virus software.
Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops

If you want to be free, to innovate, to react quickly, to seize the moment, but you want a simple approach to technology that doesn’t chain you down with big PC and software investments, then you should switch to digital workspaces.

Hybrid

Deploy where you want, with the only consistent hybrid cloud on the market. Extend virtual desktops to Azure and connect to on-premises with Citrix.

Security

Advanced security and monitoring capabilities to help you stay ahead of risks and incidents.

Management

Streamlined management for virtual desktop deployments of any scale to simplify your daily operations.

Use familiar tools to manage on-premises Citrix deployments alongside Windows Virtual Desktop on Azure, supporting cloud modernization while maximizing your existing investment. Lower your costs, simplify management, and support more users faster when you migrate to Azure.

Why choose Virsage as your Citrix partner?

As an early member of the Citrix Service Provider program, Virsage has accumulated a large amount of experience and expertise with Citrix technologies.  Virsage engineers will setup a proof of concept environment so that your team can test performance and functionality.

Make your deployment smooth with our team’s experience and best practices.

Virsage will integrate your hosted desktops with multi-factor authentication.

We can deploy Office 365 inside your hosted desktops .

We will design your hosted desktop to meet your exact requirements.

Modernize Your Infrastructure

Move your Citrix virtual desktop and app environment to Azure to lower your infrastructure costs and reduce your hardware management burden. Deploy quickly, scale faster, and take advantage of unified management across your entire hybrid environment when you use Azure and Citrix together. 

Deliver a Windows 10 Experience

Give your users the Windows 10 experience they expect with Windows Virtual Desktop on Azure. If you use Windows and Microsoft 365 E3 or greater, take advantage of your existing licensing for Windows to reduce costs. Citrix autoscaling optimizations ensure that you pay only for what you use.

Optimize IT security and operations

Improve your security posture with advanced policies and controls to meet your compliance needs. Save operational costs by using comprehensive environment management and helpdesk tools, controls for rapid image provisioning, and application lifecycle maintenance.

Deliver a high-definition experience on any device

Use Citrix high-definition experience (HDX) technology to ensure a productive remote graphics experience in virtual desktops or applications. Native optimizations for unified communications tools such as Microsoft Teams ensure high-fidelity video and voice from any location and device.

Reduce Costs

Reduce infrastructure costs – by right sizing VMs and shutting down VMs in use. Increase utilization of VMs with Windows 10 multi-session. Avoid upfront costs and align operational expenses to business usage.

Reduce management overhead by moving all your VDI into a managed service in the cloud.

Blog

8 Steps to redefine your IT spend…

8 Steps to redefine your IT spend...

A Step-by-Step guide on how to identify erroneous charges that are inflating your monthly communication and cloud expenditures.

In today’s economic climate, Financial and IT leaders recognize the need to redefine how they visualize, manage, and optimize all components of their network and IT spend. They need to identify cost reductions, process automation, and cost allocations, as well as inventory their telecom and equipment assets – all with a reliable contract management system.
You can achieve all these objectives by choosing the right partner with the right tools. You need a partner who uses advanced systems that automate all these processes with customized checks and balances, validated through advanced algorithms. Payment files can also be automated and fully mapped to your specifications, all centrally stored for easy collaboration through business intelligence tools and custom dashboards.

The right trusted partner will reduce your carrier and cloud spend by an average of 18-35%. You also need your partner to provide you with the right tools to manage your telecom and IT projects through a secure, cloud-based inventory management solution. Payments files and single-funding payment processing can be 100% automated to eliminate human error, dramatically reduce personnel time, and avoid unnecessary late fees.

In this short video, you’ll learn what the right partner can do for you. Now let’s look in more detail at key process steps for optimizing your IT spend.


8 Steps to redefine your IT spend…

1. Inventory

Document all existing services and expenses across the existing telecommunication footprint, including but not limited to, existing circuit ID’s, ESN’s, device types, service descriptions, features, IP addresses, software, Cloud, hardware, licenses, and telephone numbers (landline and mobile).

  • Document Existing Services
  • Analyze utilization report.
  • Establish service baseline.
  • Validate Status of Existing Voice Line
  • Document Existing Contracts

2. Auditing Baseline

Contrast existing invoice to contracted rates Business Intelligence portal.

  • Compare Invoices to Contracted Rates
  • Document Billing Errors
  • Generate Business Intelligence Reports

3. Market Analysis

  • Perform Market Analysis -Perform Market Analysis to understand pricing and technology available in today’s market with existing and potential carriers. We will help the customer to understand pricing and service options with existing and prospective service providers.

4. Monthly Bill Auditing

Reviewing invoices on monthly basis for accuracy by duplicating the Audit Baseline steps monthly.

  • Review Invoices for Accuracy
  • Prepare Cost Allocations
  • Prepare Monthly Billing Intelligence Reports

5. Payment Solution

Procuring approved monthly payments to end user’s providers or end user’s AP system depending on end user request.

  • Process Monthly Invoice Payments
  • On-demand Financial Reporting

6. Wireline Help Desk

  • Provide wireline and wireless help desk and project management services to manage moves, adds, changes, and disconnects on end user’s network after the initial assessment. Additionally, we will centrally support billing tickets. We will work with your service providers to assure all relevant Service Level Agreements for changes and disputes are handled in a timely fashion.

7. Cost Savings Analysis

  • Savings recommendations are based on the initial inventory and audit findings and monthly invoice audits. We will make cost savings analysis available via the business intelligence portal.
    • Audit & Cost Recovery Savings
    • Monthly Cost Savings

8. Additional Services

Provide training to end user on how to navigate and operate the portal.

  • Audit & Cost Recovery Savings
  • Monthly Cost Savings


Click to connect
..

The Top Ten features and benefits that make Cloud Business Phone systems more agile.

The Top Ten features and benefits that make Cloud Business Phone systems more agile.

2020 forced businesses around the globe to work remotely. Everyday employees were joining via video, chat, text, and traditional phone calls on multiple apps and platforms. One day companies realized that their employees were spending too much time going from app to app. Because of that productivity decreased and cause more stress. Because of that customer satisfaction hit an all time low. Until finally business executives realized all the functionality of their video, chat, contact center, SMS/MMS, phone calls and even document sharing could be hosted in an app they already owned. Microsoft Teams can not only be used for meetings, but we can also integrate it into your phone systems as well as a contact center solution for a better customer experience.

Not everyone is interested in picking up the phone. Some employees prefer text or live chat. Some still would prefer to use email and today video calls are at an all-time high. When you integrate your phone system with teams it allows for you to connect your employees and customers in new ways of doing business face-to-face. Integrated systems allow you to use the app to send and receive business and MMS text messages. Live chat lets you answer customer questions quickly and easily. Conference calling lets you host calls with multiple participants at one time. Call forwarding, CRM Integration, voicemail transcription, call recording, the ability to integrate the system with hundreds of apps in addition to Teams – and the list goes on. Traditional phone systems just do not come close in comparison.

As the demand for moving to a cloud-based system like Teams grows at a fanatical pace due to low upfront cost and ongoing cost of a cloud business phone system, organizations around the globe are discovering that they can save big on local calls, international calls and operationalize cost by switching to a cloud-based system.

But cost is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of switching. Thanks to the range of features, businesses that switch to a cloud PBX business phone system do not only pay less for their communications – but those very communications are also enhanced for a more productive experience for both the employee and the customers they are engaging with.

With greater flexibility, reduced costs, a wide range of tools and features, and improved performance to consider, the benefits of cloud PBX business phone systems can no longer be ignored.

Here is a list of features and benefits on how cloud business phone systems can make your business more agile.

  1. Conference calling
  2. Free up funds
  3. Find Me/Follow Me
  4. Reallocate resources
  5. Remote work
  6. Scalable
  7. Flexible
  8. Mobility
  9. Future-proof
  10. Simplified management of phone calls and messages

If you would like to learn more about moving to Teams or any of these features and make the move to a cloud=based business phone system contact us today. p. 720-881-7320 e. info@virsage.com

OR 

Download the Infographic about how to streamline solutions

CyberTips

Prevent Cyberattacks from Phishing Emails

60% of Organizations Are Hit by Cyberattacks Spread by Their Own Employees

The “unwitting participant” appears to be alive and well, based on new data from security vendor Mimecast. With employees being the source of attack surface expansion, what’s an org to do?

When you think of cyberattacks, the assumption is that it’s a simple matter of “the bad guy sends an email, the user gets fooled, the user clicks malicious content, and the badness happens.” But the State of Email Security 2020 report from Mimecast sheds some light on some of both the how and why attacks are still successful.

According to the report:

  • 51% of organizations have been impacted by ransomware in the last 12 months
  • 58% saw phishing attacks increase
  • 60% have seen an increase in impersonation fraud
  • 82% have experienced downtime from an attack

These numbers aren’t good. Way too many organizations are feeling the pain of email-based cyberattack, despite knowing the problem is only getting worse. So, why are organizations proving to be such easy targets for email-based cyberattacks?

According to the report, it’s a problem-riddled combination of issues involving your people, processes and technology. In essence, the lack of sufficient presence of all three play a role.

From the report:

  • 60% of orgs have experienced their own employees being responsible for spreading a malicious email (People)
  • 55% of orgs don’t provide security awareness training on a regular basis (Process)
  • An average of 41% of orgs don’t have a system in place to monitor for and detect malicious content in emails (Technology)

With 60% of orgs believing they will be the victim of an email-borne attack in the coming year, organizations need to be taking steps to protect themselves with a security strategy that addresses all three issues. Putting a layered security strategy in place that detects malicious content before it ever reaches your users is imperative.

But, because 7-10% of malicious emails make it through your filters, it’s equally as important to ensure users are continually educated using security awareness training. By doing so, you will improve your organization’s security posture, and keep users from participating in the spread of malicious emails.

 

Don’t have a security awareness training program for your staff?  GET ONE!  Virsage is here to support you with implementing a security awareness training program to protect your business and data!

 

Digital Security Best Practices

Digital Security Best Practices

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Hi everyone!  Each of us need to exercise healthy security habits to keep our systems and information safe.  To help, we put together some tips for you and your team. I’ll keep them short and sweet; I promise.

TIP #1

The bad guys are out there: ready to take advantage of any vulnerabilities they can find. Trying to trick you into giving out your password. Thinking they can fool you into providing an entry point for our company’s critical data. Exploiting any openings.

The good news is that no one expects you to be a security expert.  I’m here to help, and we’re all on this journey together.

In this post, we’ll be reviewing some good security habits and signs of danger to watch for.  But anytime you aren’t sure about what to do, reach out and ask your IT group.  Whether it’s an email that seems a bit off or a link that took you to a web site that looks sketchy, reach out and ask about it.

If you see something, say something!

TIP #2

123456 or Password1?

Silly passwords like the ones above  are favorites for those who don’t know a better way to protect their online accounts. Weak passwords like these make it easy for someone with bad intentions to break into your accounts and steal your identity and data.

It’s not difficult to create and use a strong password. Mix upper and lowercase characters and mix in special characters and numbers. Avoid choosing personal references that others can easily discover, such as your birthday or the names of pets or relatives. Don’t select a word from the dictionary.

Keep your password safe. Make sure you use a unique password for each system. Never tell anyone else your password. Don’t store your password on a sticky note attached to your device or an unencrypted file.

You know how to keep yourself protected. Be safe out there!

TIP #3

Email is the most common way that cybercriminals try to break into accounts and systems. Almost 500 million phishing emails are sent each day. Every 60 seconds, 250 computers are hacked.

A phishing email pretends to come from a friend, colleague, or familiar organization. The email may ask you to click on a link, open an attachment or go to a specific website. You will probably regret taking the action requested, as it may allow download of a malicious program that can do all sorts of mischief and badness to your data and computer.

We have controls in place to spot and stop these mails before they get to you. But that doesn’t mean we can catch them all—and here’s where you come in. Be suspicious. Be especially suspicious of any email that is not a response to one you’ve sent. Hover your mouse over any links to verify a link’s actual email location, even if the link comes from a trusted source. And if the mail contains an attachment, all your alarm bells should sound. Do not open it. If in doubt, call the person you believe sent it to you, or check with our team before opening it.

You know how to keep yourself protected. The more you know.

TIP #4

Not only is there no free lunch, there’s no free, safe, password-free public Wi-Fi.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots are a quick and easy way to get online when you’re out and about. Unlike your Wi-Fi at work or home, not all public hotspots are password protected. That means anyone, even hackers, can connect to the hotspot and use it to infect your device with malware, steal your online usernames and passwords, access files on your computer, and even steal your financial details.

There are ways to access the internet more safely using public Wi-Fi. Configure your devices to connect to prompt you before connecting to any unknown Wi-Fi networks. Don’t install updates or programs on your devices while using public Wi-Fi. Verify with the provider that you are logging onto the correct network. Use a trusted VPN service to secure your traffic. Double check that no one can see your screen or “shoulder surf” when you work with sensitive information. Wherever possible, avoid public Wi-Fi altogether by using mobile data services such as 5G.

TIP #5

Hackers are clever and they’re always coming up with new ways to fool us. Malware—or malicious software—comes in many shapes and sizes. A common form is ransomware, which encrypts the victim’s data storage drives so data is inaccessible to the owner unless the owner pays a ransom for the encryption key. There are also many other kinds of malware: worms, trojans, rootkits and other similar evils.

You have the power to head off malware with some good habits that are already familiar. Start by installing software updates and security patches promptly. Back up your data regularly. Maintain strong passwords and change them frequently. Be smart about email. Be savvy about entering information only on secure sites (look for the closed padlock next to the address and an address that begins with https://) Log out at the end of the day.

Questions? Reach out to me or any member of our team. info@virsage.com

Why Wait

Cloud adoption continues, and it’s easy to see why. 

According to a recent Microsoft study,* there are three key reasons small and midsize businesses consider cloud services:

 


1. Cost savings

2. Improved security

3. Easy access to documents and applications from multiple locations

 


Many of the same companies in the survey are already using Microsoft cloud services for file sharing, storage, online meetings, and chat. These services are bundled into Office 365 along with best-in-class productivity apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and enterprise-grade security. With Office 365, you can work from anywhere, on any device. You can add and subtract users as needed, and migration is simple.

Why wait?

Now is the time to explore your options if you are running Windows 7 or Office 2010, which face end of support deadlines starting in January, 2020. Talk to us about Office 365 migration offers, which help you transition to modern tools easily.

Customer Story: Jack’s Diving locker

Customer Story: Jack's Diving Locker

When Jack’s Diving Locker (JDL) was founded in 1981, its team members worked out of a Volkswagen van. Now JDL has expanded into a company with two retail stores and five boats in two harbors, and they rely on a Microsoft 365 Business platform to manage their growing business. Since adopting Microsoft tools to streamline communication and ensure that all company data is protected, JDL has expanded into a global ocean outreach and conservation company. With cloud-based tools designed to protect valuable data and keep employees connected, JDL is able to grow their business and preserve the environmental integrity of one of our planet’s most valuable assets: our oceans. Check out their story to see how they’re using Microsoft tools to protect company information and change how business gets done.

We’re on a mission to modernize IT and increase security with predictable budgets for the SMB. Virsage helps businesses ensure their employees, IT systems, and data are secure and productive. We can support your entire IT organization, augment your in-house team, or provide expert professional services to ensure your IT projects are a success.

IT Security – A Three Legged Stool

IT Security - A Three Legged Stool

Watching the number and complexity of cybersecurity threats increase over the last few years has changed the landscape of the IT service provider market.  When I got into this industry over 25 years ago, the prevailing strategy for IT security was to turn off the fax machine and lock the door on our way out at the end of the day.  Until recently, security for most small and mid-market companies has historically been a  “nice to have” or “wait until something happens” issue.  As an IT provider we have to shift our focus from a user experience first stand point to a security first perspective.  This has caused more than a few “energetic” conversations with some customers who are still struggling to get their arms around accepting something as simple as multifactor authentication (MFA) – if you don’t know what MFA is you should shoot me a private message ;).

I look at IT Security today as a three legged stool.  An organization needs three separate components to ensure they have a sustainable approach to protecting their infrastructure.  If you only have two of the elements, you fall on your butt.  Too many companies look for a fix it and forget it security solution. 

The First Element: Audit

The Audit is required to give a baseline of your current IT security profile.  This should be done by a third party and not your IT staff or IT provider to eliminate any conflict of interest in the findings and recommendations.

The Second Element: IT Management

IT Management is responsible for the remediation of any issues identified by the audit as well as the on-going process of patch management and vulnerability assessments.  This is the day to day activities that take place to keep systems and network up to date.

The Third Element: Security Monitoring

Security Monitoring is the equivalent of ADT for a business’s IT infrastructure.  If companies are not analyzing and responding to events on their network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, a hacker could have access to systems months before they are identified.  Small and mid-sized businesses do not have the resources to do this effectively and should look for a third party provider.

As companies look to the future, they should put IT security at the front of their plans.  Don’t look for a quick fix or easy approach.  Security is a pain – there is no doubt about it.  A security breach today is a much bigger pain that hurts much more than falling off of a stool.

Window 7 End of Support

Windows 7 Support Ends January 2020

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Ensure that your computers continue to receive security patches from Microsoft by upgrading to Windows 10. After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support PCs running Windows 7.  

Simplify Your Upgrade with Microsoft 365

Virsage can help make the process smoother with Microsoft 365 for Business. Microsoft 365 combines Office 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc) with Windows 10 Enterprise to provide all of your core Microsoft licensing in a monthly subscription. Microsoft 365 can eliminate the need to purchase expensive hardware or licensing while improving your organizations security and productivity.  

Upgrading all of your computers to Windows 10 can be a daunting project. The Virsage team can help by conducting a detailed discovery of your current environment, identifying any potential obstacles and creating a plan that meets your schedule and budget requirements. Our engineering team’s experience working with both Microsoft and 3rd party tools provides our customers with the assurance of a successful project.

Don't leave your computers unprotected

Contact us to get started

The Top Ten features and benefits that make Cloud Business Phone systems more agile.

The Top Ten features and benefits that make Cloud Business Phone systems more agile.

2020 forced businesses around the globe to work remotely. Everyday employees were joining via video, chat, text, and traditional phone calls on multiple apps and platforms. One day companies realized that their employees were spending too much time going from app to app. Because of that productivity decreased and cause more stress. Because of that customer satisfaction hit an all time low. Until finally business executives realized all the functionality of their video, chat, contact center, SMS/MMS, phone calls and even document sharing could be hosted in an app they already owned. Microsoft Teams can not only be used for meetings, but we can also integrate it into your phone systems as well as a contact center solution for a better customer experience.

Not everyone is interested in picking up the phone. Some employees prefer text or live chat. Some still would prefer to use email and today video calls are at an all-time high. When you integrate your phone system with teams it allows for you to connect your employees and customers in new ways of doing business face-to-face. Integrated systems allow you to use the app to send and receive business and MMS text messages. Live chat lets you answer customer questions quickly and easily. Conference calling lets you host calls with multiple participants at one time. Call forwarding, CRM Integration, voicemail transcription, call recording, the ability to integrate the system with hundreds of apps in addition to Teams – and the list goes on. Traditional phone systems just do not come close in comparison.

As the demand for moving to a cloud-based system like Teams grows at a fanatical pace due to low upfront cost and ongoing cost of a cloud business phone system, organizations around the globe are discovering that they can save big on local calls, international calls and operationalize cost by switching to a cloud-based system.

But cost is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of switching. Thanks to the range of features, businesses that switch to a cloud PBX business phone system do not only pay less for their communications – but those very communications are also enhanced for a more productive experience for both the employee and the customers they are engaging with.

With greater flexibility, reduced costs, a wide range of tools and features, and improved performance to consider, the benefits of cloud PBX business phone systems can no longer be ignored.

Here is a list of features and benefits on how cloud business phone systems can make your business more agile.

  1. Conference calling
  2. Free up funds
  3. Find Me/Follow Me
  4. Reallocate resources
  5. Remote work
  6. Scalable
  7. Flexible
  8. Mobility
  9. Future-proof
  10. Simplified management of phone calls and messages

If you would like to learn more about moving to Teams or any of these features and make the move to a cloud=based business phone system contact us today. p. 720-881-7320 e. info@virsage.com

OR 

Download the Infographic about how to streamline solutions

Cloud Subscriptions

Cloud computing concept. Communication network.
Leverage Industry Leading
Cloud Subscriptions
Cloud Subscriptions that give your business a competitive edge.

Your business depends on applications that drive better business outcomes for your clients so we have spent significant time, resources, and money to create a portfolio of Cloud-based subscriptions that provide a robust and secure environment for our customers. Our customers benefit from expert deployments, multi-cloud integration, and consolidated billing.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Get Cyber Threat Protection & Device Management With Microsoft 365® Business Premium! Up To 5 Devices Per User. Unlocks Creativity. Safeguard Information. Online & Offline Access. Built For Teamwork. Intelligent Security. Trusted & Secure.

Microsoft Teams

Stay up-to-date with your projects and with your team
using a shared workspace that puts collaboration, chat,
calls, and meetings together in one central hub.

• Host 1:1 and team meetings from any device. 

• Connect and meet with contacts inside and outside
your organization.

• Collaborate and co-author in real time with file
editing across familiar Office 365 apps such as Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint.

Office 365

Office 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that brings together the best tools for the way people work today.

Get more done | Secure Data | Work Better

Get the office apps you know with built-in AI tools and online file storage and sharing, protect your company against threats, and collaborate, share and communicate better.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is an ever-expanding set of cloud services to help your organization meet your business challenges. It’s the freedom to build, manage, and deploy applications on a massive, global network using your favorite tools and frameworks.

Deploy where you want, with the only consistent hybrid Cloud on the market that is trusted by businesses across industries, governments, and 95% of Fortune 500 businesses that need a broad set of international, industry-specific, and country specific standards.

Citrix

Digital transformation requires businesses to provide a superior employee experience for higher productivity and stronger security policies for data loss prevention. Only Citrix Workspace offers a user-centric experience where everything you need to work is in one unified app, with conditional access and performance made simple based on user context and IT-designed policies. Citrix Workspace fully aggregates all apps and data across all applications—both on-premises and cloud—to deliver the right experience to the right user at the right time

Your Chief Security Officer LPG

desktop-min
Meet Your New Chief Security Officer (CSO)

We know that handling IT for your business is a big job.  We have put together some information about how you can improve security and productivity with Microsoft 365 – the comprehensive solution for your IT needs.

Download the entire notebook.

Here's The Situation:

Microsoft spends billions of dollars every year on cybersecurity R&D. On top of this, Microsoft employs thousands of cybersecurity experts to constantly improve the speed, responsiveness, and strength of our security services. Then there’s the thousands of other people monitoring and neutralizing the threats and attacks spreading around the globe.
The result is a global cloud with more security certifications than anyone else. Right now, the largest  organizations in the world store their most sensitive data in Microsoft’s cloud—and they don’t lose a minute of sleep.

Defend Against Threats

Your top security threat today can be summarized in one word:
phishing. For SMBs, between 90-98 percent of all cyber attacks start with phishing.
Todays phishing attacks are so perfectly designed that many of the experts trained to find them can be fooled. In addition to that, many pieces of malware are so brilliantly engineered that they can sweep the globe before conventional anti-virus or security tools even know they exist. Plus, these programs know how to hide, re-write themselves, and cover their tracks once they’re in your system.

Protect Business Data

Every business has information it doesn’t want exposed online. It might be customer data, secret recipes, transcripts of interdimensional contact, or financial records. No matter the type of data, you have an obligation to your customers to protect it—and Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly
Microsoft 365 Business) believes it has an obligation to make this possible. Managing each piece of data security is a full-time job.
Instead of spending all your time managing a catalog of different products to cover your security needs, Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers an automated, AI-powered data protection solution that monitors the way data is moving inside your organization and helps prevent sensitive data from being stolen or accidentally shared.

Easily Secure & Manage Devices

It’s a full-time job just keeping track of how your computers, phones and tablets are all being managed, secured, and knowing what data is moving from Point A to Point B. Point A is usually somewhere in your network, so that’s fine. The real problems start when Point B is suddenly deep within a country that is not particularly impressed with the limited nature of our cyberterrorism jurisdiction.
Data constantly in motion and moving between devices, but those devices are always in motion,too. Laptops are easy to steal, tablets get lost all the time, and phones are constantly being left in cabs, planes, parks, and freerange alpaca ranch visitor centers. Whenever those devices go missing, the company information on them is at risk.

Due For An Upgrade?

Moving to Microsoft 365 Business Premium is easy because it includes the upgrade from Windows 7 Pro and 8.1 Pro, and, because this is subscription based, you’ll always have the most current version of Office moving forward.
Once you have Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you can use Windows Autopilot to automatically configure the way you want to set up Windows 10 on every new PC you buy. This saves lots of IT hassles, and it gets new users up and running in a fraction of the time.
Reimagine the way you work with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams

Chat, call, host online meetings, and collaborate in real time, whether you’re working remotely or onsite. Get one integrated solution including Teams, OneDrive cloud storage, and Office apps with advanced security options—at a price that’s right for your business.

Be productive anywhere

Get work done with productivity solutions and stay connected whether you’re working remotely or onsite.

Chat, calls, and meetings

Host online meetings, make calls, chat, share files, and collaborate in real time with Microsoft Teams.

Cloud storage

Manage your files from anywhere with 1 TB of OneDrive storage.

Office apps and services

Use, share, and collaborate on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files within Microsoft Teams.

Email and calendaring

Connect with customers and coworkers using Outlook and Exchange.

Secure your business

 Safeguard business data with a cloud platform that offers built-in security features for remote work.

Defend against cyberthreats

Protect against viruses, malware, phishing attempts, ransomware, spam, and other threats.

Keep your data protected

Guard information from cybercriminals, unauthorized access, and accidental deletion.

Secure your device

Use, share, and collaborate on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files within Microsoft Teams.

Identity and access management

Easily set up and manage users, devices, and data so you can focus on running your business.

Cost-effective solution

Streamline collaboration tools, IT setup and management, and costs with a single productivity solution.

Start saving today

Eliminate multiple apps from different vendors with the Microsoft 365 productivity platform.

Easy migration

The Virsage experts will make your transition smooth and seemless.

Make repetitive tasks easy

Streamline everyday business processes with Power Automate and Microsoft Forms.

Eliminate on-site hardware

Reduce power, backup and management costs by moving your files and email to the cloud.

Things you may be wondering about

No. Microsoft 365 does include upgrade rights from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10 Business.

Microsoft 365 restricts company data to approved apps and accounts so work email is kept in Outlook and files are kept in OneDrive for Business.

Yes. Microsoft 365 Business Premium gives subscribers access to Windows Virtual Desktop which delivers multi session Windows 10, Office optimizations, and support for Remote Desktop environments.

No. Although they may make it more difficult for an employee
to steal data, they are primarily designed to protect against
accidental leaks. A motivated employee can bypass protections
such as “Do not Print” by taking a photo of the computer screen,
for example.