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The Hard Truths Facing CIOs About Outsourcing: Exposing 5 Pervasive Myths

Savvy chief information officers know a little something about disruption. In an era of accelerating innovation, it’s up to CIOs to keep a cool head and assess what new technologies can improve their businesses, and which ones are better left on the shelf. But while choosing and embracing the right disruptive technologies has always been part of the job, more…

The Digital Transformation and AI Journey: A Guide

By Mike Rose, CEO, Engine Room, Christian Kelly, CTO, Xantrion, and Seth Tuman, COO, 2Go Advisory Group For growing businesses, digital transformation is exciting, necessary…and sometimes challenging to understand. One way to imagine your digital transformation journey is to consider it in three stages: enablement, transformation and digital first. The infographic below, created by experts from Engine Room, Xantrion and…

Ready to Adopt AI? 5 Things Businesses Should Know

Here at Xantrion, we’ve been experimenting with different AI-powered tools and automation for the last three years. As a mid-size managed IT service provider, we’ve learned a lot about the potential and the limitations of AI tools, and what they mean for businesses like ours…and yours.

Digital Transformation vs. Using AI and Machine Learning for Your Business: What’s the Difference?

The concept of digital transformation actually predates AI and machine learning. As you update and evolve your business’s use of technology, it’s important to understand all three concepts.

The Crucial Role of Morale and Culture in Defending Against Cyber Criminals

There are two aspects of the battle against cyber criminals that organizations can’t afford to ignore: Employee morale and company culture. While strong morale and culture can help companies protect against cyberthreats, weak morale and culture can make them more vulnerable.

Have You Outgrown Your MSP? 6 Questions To Ask

When your business evolves from a scrappy startup to a more mature organization, there’s a good chance that your managed service provider (MSP) won’t evolve with it. Solo IT consultants or AI-based MSPs may work well for fledgling businesses, but as a company grows, so does its IT needs…meaning its old MSP may no longer be the right fit. If…

Don’t Gamble with Your Cybersecurity: 7 Lessons From the MGM Casino Breach

Gaps in cybersecurity recently cost MGM Resorts a reported $100 million after cybercriminals hacked the casino giant. Though disastrous for MGM, other companies can learn valuable lessons from the headline-making cyberattack…without paying $100 million to do so. Here are a few key takeaways from this incident: 1. Beware the power of social engineering. Social engineering is the criminal act of…

Ransomware and Data Breaches: Understand Their True Costs

New data from IBM and Verizon shed light on the true costs of ransomware and data breaches. Do you understand the risks of leaving your business unprotected?

Why You Need an Incident Response Plan Now More Than Ever

It might happen on a Friday afternoon, or maybe on the day before holiday. Many employees have clocked out early, so an intrusion goes unnoticed…until it’s too late. Suddenly the whole system begins shutting down. Your next step? Panic. A data breach or other cybersecurity incident can be a traumatic, shocking experience, even for a seasoned executive. To avoid freezing…

How to Find the Right Supplemental Cybersecurity Provider for your Business

Staying vigilant about cybersecurity threats is a requirement for doing business today. The costs of data breaches are climbing sky-high, while AI is empowering criminals to devise ever more sophisticated schemes to steal from and defraud companies. That’s why businesses turn to IT security providers who offer services and expertise that their in-house IT teams lack. But not all security…

Take Advantage of Co-Managed IT Services and Your In-house IT Team Will Thank You

There’s a good chance your company’s internal IT team is feeling overwhelmed. It’s not a reflection of their skill or dedication, but rather a sign of the times — technology and cybersecurity threats are evolving faster than ever. Sometimes companies are victims of their own success: They’re growing so quickly that their in-house IT departments can’t keep up with requests…

How to Save on IT Support Services Without Sacrificing Security

Performance is top of mind for CFOs and COOs who are trying to do more with fewer resources. They are facing more pressure than ever to justify their spending and prove they’re providing value. Our goal is to help every department, not just IT, get what they want while still delivering results. The following are 9 ways we’ve found to get the best value from your IT investment.…

Is Penetration Testing Worth the Investment?

1. What is penetration testing and why is it important? A penetration test identifies how a cybercriminal might successfully get into your network and systems in order to steal your data and compromise your operations. Many companies are required to provide the results of a penetration test to regulators or insurers every year, but even without an external requirement, a…

Take your Start Up to Grown Up in 3 Steps

By Karl Pontau, Owner, Squash & Stretch Productions, Dave Oates, Founder, PR Security Service, Anne Bisagno, President, Xantrion Inc. Perspectives from leaders in Managed Security, Crisis Management, and Story Coaching & Consulting Well done. You’ve cleared the hurdle of getting your startup funded and you’re now faced with the exciting, yet perhaps overwhelming next steps of scaling and growing your…

Vulnerability Scanning: What It Is And What It Does

By Rapid Fire Tools Nearly every industry and government IT security standard around the world, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the Center for Internet Security (CIS 20), Australia’s Essential 8, the Department of Defense’s CMMC and PCI requires vulnerability scanning. This almost universal requirement for network vulnerability scanning stems from its core function of identifying weaknesses in computers and networks…

Technology Helps California Life Sciences Companies Strategically Transition to the Remote / Hybrid Workplace

The 2021 California Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report, points to a nationwide staffing crunch in the life sciences industry. Between pandemic-related changes to the workplace and underdeveloped talent pipelines, the life sciences industry is in a fierce competition for skilled employees, both for STEM positions and for secondary roles like IT that are necessary to support scientists.

The Difference Between Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Fires, floods, ransomware attacks, or pandemics, such as COVID-19, that prevent people from working in the office are all reasons your organization needs a disaster recovery plan. However, while thinking about how to recover from a disaster, don’t forget to include business continuity (a.k.a) disaster avoidance as a cost-effective element of your overall disaster recovery plan. What is the difference between…

Identity and Access Management Best Practices: The Key to Cloud and Mobile Security

When we talk about data security, we’re basically talking about two things: making sure information and applications are available to people who are authorized to use them, and keeping everyone else away. Identity management, also known as identity and access management, is key to our ability to do that. Identity management is the process of defining who you are and what you’re…

The 4 Riskiest Airports for WiFi

Most airports provide free Wi-Fi for visitors. This is convenient for business travelers who work on their laptops while waiting for their flights. Taking advantage of this convenience can be risky. The risk level, though, is not the same across all airports. Security researchers came to this conclusion after they gathered and analyzed data from the 45 busiest US airports…

An Employee’s Guide for Full Remote Working

While some of you are veteran remote workers, working from home, especially on a regular basis, might be new for others. The following are some best practices to help guide you through it.

Business App Upgrades to Consider for your 2020 IT Budget

Microsoft will no longer support many business apps in 2020 because they are reaching the end of their lifecycles. Find out which popular programs are reaching this point so you can plan any needed upgrades and adjust your 2020 IT budget accordingly.

The Five Most Important Files to Back Up

While regular backups are an important part of any disaster recovery plan, not every file on your system is mission critical. It’s always good practice to back up your systems daily, but often that isn’t practical or doable. Whether because of financial or time constraints, full backups often have to be done less frequently. So which files should you backup…