hybrid IT

What to Include in an IT Budget

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For many businesses, 2020 was spent reacting to the ever-changing COVID situation. IT solutions were quickly patched together to ensure that employees had what they needed as they transitioned to new working environments. Now, after a tumultuous year, businesses are heading into 2021 with a clearer picture of what work will look like in the coming months. As your company begins the IT budget process, we have a few tips.

Involve the Right People

It’s important to have the right people involved in IT budget planning. This should include not only CIOs and IT managers, but other upper management representatives who can ensure buy-in. And while individual employees don’t need to be involved, keep them informed about IT budgets and how their IT use plays a part.

The Essential Components of a Comprehensive IT Budget

According to ETMA, these seven elements should be included your IT budget planning:

  1. Hardware: physical IT equipment and tools used by employees, including wiring
  2. Software: all software programs that run on employee computers and devices
  3. Subscriptions and Services: recurring licensing fees for software
  4. Capital: non-financial assets or good that are used in product creation
  5. Operations: costs incurred in running the IT department
  6. Projects: costs incurred in specific tasks and initiatives
  7. Buffer: funds for unforeseen expenses

Stick to the Budget – But Don’t Be Afraid to Make Changes

Once you’ve created the budget and allocated funds, revisit it throughout the year. This will not only ensure that you’re staying on budget, but will help you identify unbudgeted expenses that come up and include them in future planning.

If you need help with your 2021 IT budget, give Vaultas a call.

Vaultas is a technology ecosystem provider that facilitates direct access to any network or service provider. Our services include hybrid IT solutions,  data storage and backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, hosting, colocation, cloud storage, data center consulting, VoIP and UCaaS solutions, and more. 

Our primary ecosystem access points are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI, with remote access from anywhere in the world. Contact us to get started. 

What is the Technology Ecosystem?

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As we enter the sixth month of COVID-19, shutdowns, social distancing and remote work, many companies are starting to think long-term. It’s clear that the current situation will most likely persist for many more months, and the world will look much different when we return to “normal,” whatever that will be. So how can companies meet the challenges of this new reality? Better yet, how can they leverage the current situation to improve their processes and operations? The Vaultas technology ecosystem can help.

What is the Technology Ecosystem?

There are many different definitions of a tech or IT ecosystem, depending on the context in which it’s used. For our purposes, we define the Vaultas technology ecosystem as the coalition of vendors, suppliers, tools and services that deliver custom IT solutions for businesses and institutions.

How Can the Technology Ecosystem Deliver for Your Business?

At Vaultas, we have access to nearly 200 suppliers of IT tools and services, allowing companies to select the individual solutions that are right for their specific needs. We have the skills and experience to integrate your selections into a cohesive, efficient IT system that will work for you.

Fast, Efficient and Automated

Gone are the days of waiting weeks or months for a new IT system to be built and installed. We can identify and connect the right solutions for your business in a matter of days. Systems will be integrated and automated, allowing your team to focus on your business and customers instead of the IT hassles that devour so many resources.

The Power of Choice

You know your business and its needs. The technology ecosystem gives you the ability to select the tools and vendors that are exactly right for your company. And in this current climate, with all options on the table, there’s no better time to exercise your power of choice and find an IT solution that will deliver for your employees, customers and stakeholders.

Vaultas Is Your Trusted Advisor

We know that the options can be overwhelming. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping you navigate the ecosystem from start to finish. As your trusted advisor, we’ll harness the latest trends, identify needs, and help you harness the IT solutions that will give your business a competitive advantage. A trusted advisor is a CIO’s best friend, and Vaultas has the experience to play that role.

In short, the Vaultas ecosystem provides options, improves efficiency, and saves money. From security and connectivity to cloud and colocation, managed services, voice, and everything in between, let the technology ecosystem change how you do business.

Businesses are facing a wide variety of challenges as they navigate our new reality. The Vaultas IT ecosystem is here to help with all of them.

Vaultas is a technology ecosystem provider that facilitates direct access to any network or service provider. Our services include hybrid IT solutions,  data storage and backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, hosting, colocation, cloud storage, data center consulting, hosted PBX and VOIP solutions, and more. 

Our primary ecosystem access points are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI, with remote access from anywhere in the world. Contact us to get started. 

How to Outsource Hosting

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For many businesses, hosting the company website and/or data storage in-house is the best option, both financially and logistically. But then, things begin to change. The business grows, new services are added, budgets are reprioritized or staffing changes are made. Or, in a worst case scenario, the business falls victim to a disaster or cyberattack, and determines that it’s time for a more secure hosting setup. Whatever the reason, when it becomes time to outsource hosting, it’s helpful to know the steps.

Step One: Get The Information

Before deciding whether to outsource hosting, you should first get in touch with a reliable hybrid IT company. At Vaultas, we’re happy to talk businesses through our hosting solutions, and to help determine what exactly they need.

Step Two: Determine What You Have and What You Need

What and how much you choose to host will depend on:

  • the company’s personnel resources,
  • budgetary allocations, and
  • the type of business you conduct.

Step Three: Start Making Decisions

Whether you maintain some hosting in-house will depend on having the right personnel and your specific business needs. One option is to choose an IaaS, or Infrastructure-as-a-Service, provider to manage select hosting needs, while managing others in-house. This allows companies to save money while outsourcing some of the more complicated aspects.

(If a company does business in healthcare, banking, insurance or financial services, there are federal regulations on security and compliance that can make it more difficult to manage in-house.)

For companies without the personnel or IT resources to manage any part of the infrastructure, fully managed hosting services may be the way to go. This could be a more costly option, but it allows for smoother day-to-day operations, and decreased risk.

 

 

 

Vaultas offers a wide variety of hosting options, including website, application and storage hosting solutions. If your business needs a more custom solution, we can tailor any of our services to meet your needs, providing nonstop, comprehensive support to ensure that there are no interruptions.

Could outsourced hosting save your company time and money?

Contact Vaultas to learn more about our custom hosting solutions.

Vaultas is a premier provider of hybrid IT solutions, providing data storage and backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, hosting, colocation, cloud storage, data center consulting, internet connections, hosted PBX and VOIP, and more. Our data centers are located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Alexandria and St. Cloud, MN, and Milwaukee, WI. Contact us to get started.

(This is a repost of a blog post from October 2017 that was updated in March 2020.)

Five Things to Monitor for a Secure IT Environment

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Monitoring a hybrid IT environment is a complex and high-stakes task. No matter how robust the monitoring system, there will inevitably be something that falls through the cracks. And the ramifications can be major, from data loss to network failure and everything in between. So how can IT administrators monitor their system in a proactive way, without the extra noise and stress that overmonitoring can cause?

According to Mission Critical Magazine, there are five essential things to monitor in order to maintain control of the IT environment. We’ll summarize them here.

Quality of Service

Quality of service, or QoS, allows you to examine the network as a whole. Standard QoS metrics include latency, bandwidth, error rates and uptime. Watching for sudden changes in these areas allows you to uncover breaches or other issues.

Quality of Experience

Not surprisingly, quality of experience, or QoE, monitors the enduser experience. The primary metric here is response times, because that’s really all the enduser cares about – how fast their data will load. The challenge is identifying exactly what is causing response times to lag.

Resource Utilization

The expectation that resources (such as servers and networks) should be fully and efficiently utilized is a constant challenge. It’s been made more difficult with the increasing popularity of the cloud. Ensuring that all resources are being utilized, wherever they are housed, can improve efficiency and boost the bottom line.

Error Logs

Don’t wait until a major breach to examine error logs. Check them regularly, watching for seemingly-innocuous errors, such as a sudden jump in login failures. This could signify that an attack is being attempted.

The Monitoring System

It may seem unnecessary, but think of it this way: if you lose the ability to utilize your monitoring system for any length of time, you’re vulnerable until it’s back up and running. A great deal of damage could be done during that time. A secondary monitoring system that exists solely to report the status of your monitoring system is essential.

If you need help reinforcing and protecting your hybrid IT environment, give Vaultas a call today.

Vaultas is a premier provider of IT solutions, providing data storage and backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, hosting, colocation, cloud storage and more. Contact us to get started.