Tag Archive for: managed IT

Posts

Badge reflecting The ITeam being selected as a Top 100 Solutions Provider by CDN in 2021

The ITeam Captures Spot on Prestigious CDN 2021 Top 100 Solution Provider Ranking

/0 Comments/in /by

CALGARY – April 28, 2021 – The ITeam, Calgary’s leading source for Managed IT support, was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Solution Providers during a special ceremony held April 28.

The annual ranking is produced by Channel Daily News (CDN) with verification provided by IT business intelligence and analysis leader IDC Canada. The rankings are based on 2020 revenue submitted by Canada’s leading channel players.

“Given the uneven impact of the pandemic on business in general, it’s not surprising that there was considerable movement in the rankings this year. Companies with a solution that helped facilitate remote work or e-commerce have performed well. Companies with solutions related to tourism or retail found it more difficult,” said Fawn Annan, CEO, ITWC.

The ITeam not only worked to help businesses in the Calgary and Alberta areas remain operational where possible but rolled out a variety of new services to provide additional support. The company is dedicated to strengthening locally hosted cloud services for Alberta and Canada businesses.

“I am extremely proud of our entire team for overcoming unprecedented challenges over the past year to support our clients. Everyone went over and above the call of duty to ensure business continuity for all clients as well as for The ITeam.  Words can’t express how amazing our team is.  The ITeam is honoured to again be recognized by Computer Dealer News,” says James Wagner, President of The ITeam.

The virtual event saw the release of the annual CDN Top 100 Solution Providers ranking, a listing of channel organizations that collectively generated more than $10 billion in revenue during 2020. There was considerable movement in the ranking prompted by the move to remote work, a push to cloud solutions in support of digital transformation, and a series of mergers and acquisitions. The ITeam moved up four spots.

“Not only has our team remained dedicated to supporting Alberta businesses, but we also rolled out several new local, secure cloud services to further support our customers,” said Wagner. “Being named a CDN Top 100 Solution Provider again this year is recognition for the hard work of our entire team. I congratulate the other Canadian IT companies that were recognized.”

You can view the full list here.

About The ITeam

The ITeam has been delivering quality IT results for more than 20 years. As the shift to cloud computing has enabled businesses to be nimbler and more capable of meeting customers’ needs, The ITeam has worked to provide the necessary support, security strategies, and partnership required to make the transitions easier. The ITeam delivers cost-effective, comprehensive, customized solutions to clients. Get in touch.

your password IS the problem

Your Password IS a Problem

/1 Comment/in , /by

Data security is something every organization in Canada must contend with. Implementing layers of security and 24/7 threat detection can help provide protection, like leaving the your door locked at all times so no one can just walk into your business. But when your staff (executives included) reuse passwords across a variety of different sites and apps, they’ve essentially left the keys to your most valuable information in the lock.

The Password Problem

the password problemHackers have passwords, and they know that people use them on multiple sites. As well, hackers use social engineering to know which executives in your organization have financial roles. And they can use the password they stole from a shopper’s club loyalty card account database, for instance, and try it on your network. And this method often works.  Hackers also know that the more complex passwords become, the more likely people are to come up with two or three variations of one that works (i.e., it meets all the criteria for one capital letter, one number, one symbol) and reuse it everywhere – from their grocery store loyalty card accounts to your network.

But it’s more than just the repeated use of the same passwords across different apps and sites that poses a risk to your business; it’s the fact that many people don’t change their passwords even after being notified of a breach. How many of your employees are still using the same passwords (or variations) following the Yahoo data breach? The LinkedIn breach? The Capital One breach?

It Takes More than Passwords to Keep Your Data Safe

Yes, you still need to have strict password policies. But in addition to that, you must:

  • Provide ongoing, in-depth training to your staff about threats, including common email threats
  • Establish and follow a strict patching regimen so that you prevent potential access to your data through a back door
  • Implement as many barriers as possible against a data breach, including layers of security (firewalls, malware detection, network security)
  • Monitor your systems 24/7 for threats
  • Delete access immediately – including remote access – for any employee who leaves the company
  • Require a multi-factor authentication to access any secure area of your network
  • Have the capability of logging and monitoring who is doing what inside your network

Protecting data is one of the most complex issues facing organizations today. It’s not just about PIPEDA compliance, although that is a significant factor, but it’s also about protecting proprietary data, customer information, trade secrets, and financial information. Complicating all of this are the hackers who continue to develop more insidious ways to penetrate your defenses, gain access to your data, and either sell it or use it for financial gain. Employing best practices does make a difference.

Data breaches are not going away, but you can minimize the risk to your organization with strong IT security and a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. You can’t just address one of these issues; you must have a comprehensive, proactive data security program that addresses all of these risks and more.

The ITeam understands the IT security issues facing businesses in Canada. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

The ITeam named on of 50 best managed it companies in Canada

The ITeam Named One of Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies

/2 Comments/in /by

Calgary-based managed services company, The ITeam, named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed IT Companies

50 best managed IT companiesCalgary, Alberta – February 2019 – We are pleased to announce that The ITeam Ltd. has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Best Managed IT Companies in Canada by TechnoPlanet, who hosted black-tie gala at the Old Mill in Toronto to celebrate the winners.

Top 50 Best Managed IT Companies in Canada is an award of excellence to recognize 50 Value Added Resellers (VARs) or Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in Canada. Of the over 1500 Canadian IT companies that qualified, only 50 were ultimately selected to receive the award.

What It Means to Be One of the 50 Best Managed IT Companies

“The ITeam is honored to be recognized with this prestigious award. I am proud of my entire team for their hard work and contribution to this.” – James Wagner, President of The ITeam Ltd.

This award is based on an analysis of over 200 data points covering 12 different business categories such as sales process, marketing, operations, financial and leadership. The award also takes into consideration an analysis of several public areas, such as the strength of our digital presence including our website, social media, search engine results and marketing campaigns as well as other activities such as charity, community work, customer testimonials and other achievements. Eight judges review and audit each company.

Julian Lee, CEO and President of the North American technology channel marketing and communications specialists TechnoPlanet, launched the 50 Best Managed IT Companies Awards program to recognize the VARs, MSPs and ITSPs who truly operate their businesses effectively. “The primary goal is simply to help all VARs, MSPs, ITSPs, MSSPs and ISVs to benchmark their best business practices and hopefully improve. Our big mission is to help the entire channel to become bigger, better, stronger and smarter so it may remain vibrant, well into the future.” – Julian Lee, CEO of Technoplanet.

ABOUT TECHNOPLANET & THE 50 BEST MANAGED SERVICE COMPANIES AWARD

TechnoPlanet is an international channel marketing and communications company that specializes in the technology industry. Since 1993, TechnoPlanet has been developing best-practice channel solutions that help technology manufacturers develop and manage their channel partners.

Over 1,800 nominees from 4 countries worldwide were evaluated in their business practices including Business Vision & Strategy, Operations Processes, Financial Management, Leadership & Management, Sales & Marketing Processes, and Customer Satisfaction. Winners were selected based on a rigorous review of the best practices that are used to run their business.

Award winners are amongst the best-of-the-best in the IT Channel in their country when it comes to running their businesses. They have the best business leaders in the IT industry, are poised to have sustainable success in the future, offer superior customer service, and attract and retain the top talent in the IT industry.

Expand Your Capability and Expertise with a VCIO

Expand Your Capability and Expertise with a VCIO

/0 Comments/in /by

Expand Your Capability and Expertise with a VCIOTechnical support in today’s world is radically different than it was even a decade ago.

Employing a CIO and staffing an internal IT department is much more complicated and expensive than it was in the past.

But partnering with an organization that can provide the IT support you need and the expertise you must have to navigate today’s security and infrastructure issues is a solid way to ensure excellent cybersecurity and technical management that was impossible only a few years ago.

The Virtual Chief Information Officer: A Solution for Organizations of Every Size

Even independent entrepreneurs typically have an online presence, and their technical needs go beyond simple website maintenance.

The range and complexity of IT issues can tax even large corporations with the need for extensive capital reserves; their impact on smaller organizations (even mid-sized or relatively large ones), however, can be devastating.

Partnering with a Managed Services Provider (MSP) can give you access to a dependable IT department and the expertise of a CIO without the exorbitant costs.

And a Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO) can do more than save you money; soft benefits include your peace of mind and the ability to focus attention on business growth and development.

As well, you will no longer need to provide immediate and constant supervision over equipment and processes, nor will you have to constantly address issues that may arise during off hours.

Partnering with External Experts Is Nothing New

Partnering with a Managed Services Provider is more cost-effective in many cases than employing an internal IT department and CIO.

It’s no different than an organization contracting for human resources and legal counsel rather than having their own HR and legal departments.

Companies of all sizes can put their financial resources to better use and partner with experts to provide specific services that are scalable and customizable to each organization’s unique needs.

Combat Threats with a VCIO at Your Side

Having a partner who can help you navigate the complexities of today’s IT world has become one of necessity rather than luxury, particularly as cybersecurity has become such a difficult and expensive business requirement.

Spamming, phishing, hacking, ransomware, and data breaches of all kinds have rapidly and exponentially increased over the last few years, and combatting such constant and sophisticated threats has become an unavoidable imperative.

Companies that specialize in protection against these types of attacks are becoming indispensable to standard business performance, while the expertise and ability to provide solid defences are far less prevalent than the threats.

As technology fundamentally changes how we do business, serve customers, and address security threats, organizations must reevaluate whether their current IT strategy is meeting their needs. The ITeam is committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

The Benefits of Flat Rate IT Services

/1 Comment/in /by

The Benefits of Flat Rate IT Services

Before Managed Service providers became a common resource, an organization was faced with calling in a tech service provider every time something went wrong with the IT infrastructure.

This usually required paying charges based on the hourly rate of the technician and the cost of the equipment necessary to make the repairs.

And until the service call was made, there was no way to know how much it would cost to get the network back up and running.

An organization could be quite literally held hostage to exorbitant costs because without the repairs, they were unable to service their customers.

Those unpredictable costs, however, meant that managers on tight budgets would often wait to call, avoiding the issue until it was unavoidable, thereby making the costs even higher.

Today, Calgary and Alberta businesses who work with The ITeam benefit from flat-rate, fixed-cost IT services in a variety of ways.

Predictable Repair Costs

One of the biggest benefits of a flat-rate IT department is predictability.

Rather than pay an hourly rate to a technician, or suffer an unknown cost for equipment replacement costs, the organization pays a monthly fee that doesn’t change, regardless of how often services are required.

That predictability allows the organization to operate in confidence, knowing that their own customers will not be without some level service.

Better Planning

For the organization that is trying to remain competitive, agile, and capable of continued growth, turning IT costs into a predictable, monthly utility cost instead of a capital expense is significant.

Not only can you avoid unexpected capital expenditures during your fiscal year, so that you can invest in growth, marketing, and other business needs, but you can also plug IT into your budget with confidence.

Many organizations who use a flat-rate IT service are able to not only have more money for investing in attracting talent and growing their organization but also are able to have access to better, more customized IT solutions.

Flexibility

As we have seen here in Alberta, we’re all impacted by the economic downturn.

But one of the benefits of flat-rate IT is scalability. If your business grows quickly, you can handle that growth by scaling up your services. I

f you lose a big contract and need to tighten your budget, you can likewise scale back your services as needed.

Reduced Downtime

Hiring a flat-rate IT department to provide support to your infrastructure reduces downtime.

Downtime costs you and your business, not only in dollars but in loyalty.

Managers with tight budgets are more likely to call for help when they need it because they know the cost will not change, and the organization experiences less overall downtime as a result.

As well, your flat-rate IT service provider is motivated to keep everything running in peak condition to make sure you don’t have to call them unexpectedly.

The main benefit of flat-rate IT services is to your bottom line.

When your organization no longer has to worry about unpredictable IT bills costs, while at the same time increasing the reliability and functionality of your systems, it’s easier to focus on other aspects of the business that keeps you competitive.

At the same time, you have a team of experts – a strategic partner – to work with you to ensure you are able to leverage technology in ways that strengthen your organization and improve your ability to meet your customers’ needs.

The ITeam is dedicated to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses remain competitive, flexible, and ready to face whatever challenges come their way. We do this by providing essential IT support and customized services designed to meet the needs of your business. The ITeam will work with you to develop a cost-effective and comprehensive flat-rate IT strategy that will help you thrive. Contact us for a free consultation.