The threats to our network security continue to grow. 2016 showed us that there are plenty of new types of attacks to worry about, like ransomware, and all indicators show that there are plenty more on the horizon. The biggest problem in 2017 is that while we have continued to tack on new defenses, our underlying IT environment is eroding from old age. How do you know when it’s time for a restructure?
The biggest concern that comes up first is always the large capital expenditure required for replacing your IT infrastructure. But, that doesn’t look at the bigger picture. Smart business owners need to also factor in the cost to their business of not taking action. Data loss can cost big money. It can cost you the expense to detect and remediate the issue, downtime, loss of productivity, lost revenue, and most importantly the trust of your customers. It’s hard to truly tally those costs because they’re not cut and dry, but you can tell they’d be vast.
Plenty of enterprises don’t take the time to repair the root causes, and instead just add new defenses on top of aging systems. The issue starts to become more apparent as network solutions grow more complex – with various cloud deployments, unified communications, and an endless list of interconnected devices. All these added on to an unstable foundation can create massive holes in your network security and cyber attackers know it.
Your immediate thought may be that I’m suggesting you must trash your legacy system if you have any hopes of maintaining a secure, scalable, and modernized infrastructure. But, my strong preference is instead to restructure your defenses. A strong foundation doesn’t have to come from all new IT. An IT expert can tell you, some of that older tech is built to last and is still very viable as long as it’s built upon correctly.
The best approach, in my experience, is to assess what exists currently for what is usable and what needs to go. Then, evaluate the needs and goals of the enterprise for now and in the next 5-10 years. Finally, we look at what solutions exist and we build them together with a laser focus on best-in-class app integration so that we’re not just tacking on new solutions as needed, but weaving them in to the fiber of your network. Your apps should all be talking to each other as well as presenting a bigger picture view to you.
The result of this careful assessment and implementation is a network that gives your business leverage to grow and outperform your competitors, while not costing you every last cent. While 2017 is likely to be a cautionary tale for many businesses in the failings of network security, Corporate Technologies Group can ensure your story will be a victorious one. Contact us today to get started.
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